Vegas Golden Knights coach vows Game 7 after loss to Carolina Hurricanes
John Tortorella dismisses calls to bench Carter Hart as William Karlsson suffers injury; Hurricanes take 3-2 series lead.
Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella has vowed that the Stanley Cup Final will return to Raleigh for a potential Game 7, despite his team suffering a 4-2 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5. The loss leaves Vegas trailing the series 3-2, placing them on the brink of elimination as the Hurricanes move one victory away from the championship.
"We'll be back here. We're just going to do it in a different order," Tortorella said after the match. He joked that he would leave his clothes in the Raleigh hotel, signalling his confidence that the series would not end in North Carolina. The statistical odds are stacked against Vegas, with teams leading 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final winning 10 consecutive series. However, players including Brayden McNabb and Jack Eichel expressed determination to force a decisive Game 6, describing the squad as a "resilient group" focused on a must-win situation.
Significant concerns have arisen regarding the health of key centre William Karlsson, who left Game 5 after sustaining a left arm injury from a hit by Carolina defenseman Sean Walker. ESPN reported that Karlsson left the arena for evaluation and was unlikely to play in Game 6. His absence forces Vegas to scramble their lines, with Mitch Marner spending time on Jack Eichel’s line. Karlsson, a veteran presence since the team’s expansion in 2017-18, played on both the power play and penalty kill, units that have struggled against Carolina.
Goaltender Carter Hart has also drawn scrutiny, becoming only the third goalie in NHL history to concede four or more goals in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final. Hart holds an .856 save percentage and a 3.70 goals-against average against Carolina. Despite these figures, Tortorella firmly rejected suggestions to bench him for backup Adin Hill, dismissing the idea as the "stupidest question" he had heard.
Carolina has found its form, with forward Nik Ehlers recording three assists in the victory. The Hurricanes, who have not lost consecutive games since mid-January, are seeking their first Stanley Cup since 2006. The series has been physical, with the teams combining for 66 hits, and Carolina appears to be improving as the rounds progress, while Vegas faces the difficult task of overcoming a significant deficit.
