The Vegas Golden Knights have placed veteran center William Karlsson on injured reserve, according to a report by Golden Knights site SinBin Vegas on Wednesday evening.
Karlsson, 32, left Vegas’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks last Saturday after logging just 5:03 of ice time, during which he recorded an assist. Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy subsequently revealed that Karlsson sustained a lower-body injury that prevented him from returning for the second period against Anaheim.
Originally deemed day-to-day with the injury, Karlsson missed Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers and is now obligated to miss at least a week (and perhaps more) as he recovers.
In a corresponding move, the Golden Knights recalled winger Braeden Bowman from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on Wednesday.
A key member of their 2023 Stanley Cup championship team, Karlsson has struggled somewhat out of the gate this season, having managed just seven points (four goals, three assists) through 14 games.
The Knights haven’t been much better on the whole, with their 7-4-4 record placing them outside the Western Conference playoff picture. Their 48 goals rank sixth in the Pacific Division, ahead of only the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames.
It remains to be seen whether Bowman will make his NHL debut in Karlsson’s absence. The 22-year-old winger joined the Golden Knights organization in 2024 as an undrafted free agent from the OHL’s Guelph Storm; through 12 games with the Silver Knights this season, Bowman has seven goals and 12 points.
An original “Golden Misfit,” Karlsson has spent the majority of his NHL career in Vegas after being selected from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2017 Expansion Draft. The 6’1″ Swede has collected 183 goals and 453 points in 752 career games with Vegas, Columbus, and Anaheim; he’s added 33 goals and 74 points in 111 playoff contests.
Nathan MacKinnon has been on a two-week scoring binge, and the Colorado Avalanche would like him to keep it going when they meet the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night in Denver.
MacKinnon is riding a 10-game point streak and leads the NHL in scoring with 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists). His offense is even more important with the news that second-line winger Valeri Nichushkin will be out with a lower-body injury sustained in Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over Anaheim.
“It’s definitely a concern that he’s not here (Wednesday) and left the game early (Tuesday) night,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of Nichushkin (five goals, seven assists). “He’s going to miss some time; I just don’t know how much.”
The Avalanche have won four games in a row and six of their last seven to move atop the NHL with 27 points.
Cale Makar has 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) to lead all NHL defensemen, Martin Necas has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists), and Artturi Lehkonen has three goals over the last two games to push his season total to seven.
“I don’t think our game is perfect by any means, but at this point in the season, I think we’re doing a good job of making adjustments on the fly and trying to really hone in on the details of what makes us successful,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said.
Thursday is setting up to be a potential trap game for Colorado, which has just one regulation loss, fewest in the league.
Buffalo, meanwhile, lost its fourth game in a row with a 5-2 setback to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, The Sabres remain the lone NHL team without a road win (0-4-2).
The Avalanche won the first meeting of the season, 3-1 in Buffalo, on Oct. 13.
The Sabres are without top-line center Jiri Kulich, who has not played since Nov. 1 due to blood clots.
Buffalo also is without wingers Jason Zucker (viral infection) and Zach Benson (lower body), although Benson could be activated from injured reserve during this current four-game road trip.
The Sabres rely on leading scorer Alex Tuch with 14 points (six goals, eight assists), followed by Tage Thompson’s 12 points (six goals, six assists).
Defenseman Michael Kesselring is working his way back into rhythm after starting the season on IR with a lower-body injury. He has played seven games since returning and has yet to score.
“Scoring, I know it’s going to happen,” said Kesselring, who had 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) with Utah last season. “It is a little frustrating. Especially (on a) new team, you want to get your first one out of the way.
“But that will come. There’s other parts of my game that I’m more focused on right now. … I’ve never, with the injury, been out that long. It’s kind of tough to get back in a rhythm here, but it’s been a few weeks now, so I expect myself to get going.”