(Photo Credit: @GoldenKnights on X/Twitter)
William Karlsson’s return to the lineup has made a massive impact in the look and feel of the Golden Knights’ top six. It took him a few games to get there and to find the correct wingers to have that impact, though.
When Karlsson first returned from the injury that sidelined him for nearly six months, he was slotted in with Tomas Hertl and Keegan Kolesar for Games 1 and 2 against the Anaheim Ducks in the Second Round. And while Vegas won one of those games, it wasn’t necessarily pretty, and it led to head coach John Tortorella mixing things up as the games went on.
It was late in Game 2 that he found a combination that seemed to click almost instantly. In the 3rd period, with VGK trailing by two goals, Karlsson was swapped onto a line with Mitch Marner and Mark Stone. They quickly started to generate chances and looked like Vegas’ most dangerous line in a game they struggled to create much as a team.
When Bill (William Karlsson) came back, we tried it, and yeah, I don’t know. Coaches just try different things and if something sticks, it’s usually two guys that can play well with one another. That one kind of had some glue to it right away. -John Tortorella
Tortorella stuck with Karlsson and Marner together for the third game of that series, opting to use Brett Howden on the left wing. It has stuck since as they’ve played every one of the last five games together, turning into one of the best lines still going in the postseason.
Just have confidence with whoever you’re out there with. My big thing is always just trying to talk and make sure people know where I am, and I want to know where they are as well to try to make those plays. So, I think we’ve done a really good job of that. We’ve got to continue to do it because it’s just going to get harder. -Mitch Marner
The trio played more than 10 minutes together in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final and routinely looked dangerous in the offensive zone. Plus, they were used in offensive and defensive situations, as well as against Colorado’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd lines.
It’s an important line for me because I can use them not just in offensive situations, but on both circles in our end. Yeah, it’s a very important line, especially with Stone being out. -John Tororella
Both Karlsson and Marner logged more than 21 minutes in Game 1, and Howden clocked in with 18:11, his largest minute load in a game that ended in regulation this postseason, and just four seconds off his highest TOI in a game during the regular season.
VGK’s “second” line is a coach’s dream and an opponent’s nightmare. It’s made up of three bona fide centermen, has faceoff options on both sides of the ice, has two players who have received Selke votes in their career, and currently boasts the #2 and #3 leading goal scorers in the 2026 playoffs. It has changed the way Tortorella can utilize his forward lines, and it’s created matchup problems for a pair of Stanley Cup-winning coaches.
It’s also a massive reason why the Golden Knights are seven wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup.
