RALEIGH, N.C.– The Vegas Golden Knights entered the third period of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in a familiar position: trailing their opponent by multiple goals. But on Thursday, for the first time in a long time, they weren’t able to come back from that multi-goal deficit.
The Golden Knights spent most of the regular season playing from behind. They finished the regular season with 1,965 minutes spent trailing their opponents– second only to the 32nd-place Vancouver Canucks– and still won the Pacific Division.
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This is a veteran team that doesn’t panic and never says die. This is a team that has been able to erase multi-goal deficits at will and emerge triumphant on the other side. But they’ve been playing with fire all year, and they finally got burned.
Now, their season is on the line.
“We’re just gonna get ready for our next game,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 loss.
Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. PST on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights losing Game 5 to fall behind 3-2 in the series isn’t great for their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup. However, it’s possible that the final score wasn’t the worst loss the Golden Knights suffered in Game 5.
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At 8:19 in the second period, William Karlsson took a hit from Sean Walker along the boards. It was a seemingly harmless play, a typical, run-of-the-mill check. But Karlsson went to the bench cradling his left arm, spent a few moments talking with the trainers, and headed down the tunnel. He did not return to the game, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that Karlsson left the arena to seek further medical attention.
Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella indirectly provided an update on Karlsson postgame– and it doesn’t sound good.
“He’s an important piece to us,” said Tortorella following the 4-2 loss. “Up the middle of the ice, penalty killer, power play guy. He’s a winner. But having said that– it’s all good stuff– he’s not gonna be with us, probably. We gotta find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy, but as a team.”
Game 5 was a strange game. The Golden Knights fought until the final horn and threatened until the last second. But in many ways, they lost the game nine minutes into the second period.
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At 8:56 in the second, Jeremy Lauzon took a dumb penalty. As Logan Stankoven sped towards the corners to try and win a footrace to a loose puck, Lauzon caught him in the stomach with a cross-check and flipped the smaller winger like a sack of baby potatoes.
The Golden Knights killed it off. But as Lauzon stepped out of the box, Brayden McNabb boarded Jackson Blake and took another penalty. The Hurricanes took the lead a minute into the ensuing power play.
The Hurricanes, who were so sound when playing with the lead before this series, took off and never looked back. They tacked on another before the period ended and extended their lead on the power play halfway through the third.
“We had a really good start,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the loss. “We lost momentum when we took back-to-back penalties.”
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For the first time in 48 days, the Vegas Golden Knights look vulnerable. For the first time in 48 days, they lost two games in a row. For the first time in 48 days, they are trailing in a series.
John Tortorella isn’t worried.
Following the 4-2 loss, Tortorella sat at the podium and said that his team would be back at the Lenovo Center for Game 7. In fact, he guaranteed it.
“We’ll be back here,” he said. “We’re just gonna do it in a different order.”
Less than a minute later, he doubled down on his promise.
“I’m gonna leave my clothes here,” Tortorella swore. “That’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”
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The Golden Knights have a steep hill to climb, and without William Karlsson in the lineup, that hill becomes even steeper.
But there was a time when they looked like a one-and-done team. It’s been a while, but the Golden Knights have been down in a series before– and they were without Karlsson’s services then, too. And they certainly weren’t supposed to get past Colorado.
Yes, it’s a steep hill to climb. But they’ve spent two months proving everyone wrong. What’s one more time?
