Vegas Golden Knights rule out William Karlsson for Game 6 as Carolina leads series 3-2

The Vegas Golden Knights ruled out center William Karlsson for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, one day before the Carolina Hurricanes attempt to claim the title at T-Mobile Arena. Karlsson sustained the injury during Thursday night's 4-2 Game 5 loss when Carolina defenseman Sean Walker delivered a hard hit in the second period.

A trainer examined Karlsson's left arm on the ice, after which he left the game and did not return.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that Karlsson departed the arena for further evaluation. The Golden Knights trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, where the Stanley Cup will be in the building.

Karlsson has played on the Golden Knights' power play and penalty kill during the playoffs. He recorded nine points in 15 playoff games and posted a plus-10 rating. He also served as a key linemate for Mitch Marner, who leads the playoffs with 29 points.

"It's obviously a big miss," Marner said Saturday after the team's morning skate. "He's done a lot of great things for us since he's been back. We've had a lot of injuries throughout the year, throughout playoffs.

Teammate Tomas Hertl described Karlsson as an "underrated" player. "He's such a good offensive and defensive player. He's a great skater, good on faceoffs," Hertl said. "It's obviously tough to replace him.

But same time, this is a really good hockey team. " Karlsson is one of the remaining "Golden Misfits" from the team's 2017-18 expansion roster. The Golden Knights posted a 7-3-4 regular-season record and a 10-5 playoff mark with Karlsson in the lineup.