RALEIGH, N.C. — Just three players remain from the Vegas Golden Knights’ original roster spanning all nine seasons. For William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, this marks their third Stanley Cup Final appearance, yet the excitement remains unchanged.
“It’s the same feeling as Year 1,” Karlsson said.
While their inaugural season concluded in disappointment, it established championship-level expectations for the franchise. Vegas captured their first Cup in 2023 during their sixth season. Hoping for another celebration on the Las Vegas Strip, these veteran Golden Knights immediately made their presence felt in the series opener against Carolina.
Both Karlsson and Theodore found the back of the net, while McNabb recorded his first career three-assist NHL performance during Tuesday night’s 5-4 triumph. The Golden Knights relied heavily on their most experienced players to overcome yet another multi-goal disadvantage and plan to continue depending on their leadership.
“They’re calm,” said coach John Tortorella, who has only been in charge since late March. “The foundation of our team, the guts of our team, has been through this before. … Those guys kind of lead the way by not panicking. They don’t say much, they just play, and I think other people follow behind them. I think that’s so important this time of year.”
The Golden Knights’ regular season struggles partly stemmed from Karlsson’s extended absence due to an undisclosed injury. He remained sidelined from early November through the beginning of the second round.
“I learned not to take anything for granted,” Karlsson said. “It wasn’t always just a straight line. Some minor setbacks. But I always have the mind to come back for playoffs, and I’m very happy to be able to be a part of it.”
Karlsson’s return enabled Mitch Marner to move back to his preferred right wing position from center. Since then, Karlsson has tallied six points while Marner has collected 15 across 11 games.
“It’s super fun to play hockey, and I’m happy to be getting a lot of minutes and help the team,” Karlsson said.
The Golden Knights entered this season facing a significant gap on their defensive line, with top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo unlikely to return due to a chronic hip condition. Former coach Bruce Cassidy noted during the ’23 championship campaign that while he recognized Pietrangelo’s talent, he gained new appreciation for his comprehensive skill set.
Theodore has filled that leadership void during Pietrangelo’s absence.
“Shea’s game this season has just added a completely different layer than what we were used to because he’s always been a great puck-mover, always been a very good offensive defenseman,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “Shea has become a penalty killer. He never killed penalties prior at all. He’s on the ice when it’s 6 on 5 against, where in the past he would not have been. And I’m really proud of him, to be honest with you. I think he’s really grown into it.”
Tortorella commended Theodore for recovering in Game 1 after being “spanked” on Carolina’s opening goal just 25 seconds into the contest.
“It doesn’t bother him, and he probably plays one of the better games,” Tortorella said. “He just played. I think it’s a really good lesson for all of us to see.”
Theodore not only netted Vegas’ first goal after trailing 2-0 but also delivered a perfect shot-pass to Brett Howden for a third-period score.
“His vision is unbelievable,” said Howden, whose 11 goals leads the postseason. “He wasn’t even looking at me, but I feel like he knew that I was going there and he made an unbelievable pass there. I just had to chip it in.”
McNabb has served as a reliable defenseman throughout his decade-plus career. Preventing goals while defending and hitting opponents remains his main responsibility. He doubled his postseason assist count Tuesday evening, adding to his previous total of just three assists across 15 games in the first three rounds. Theodore joked, “He’s an offensive guy.”
“My partner did most of the work on all of them, really,” McNabb said, crediting Theodore. “But, yeah, the guys made great plays, and it’s nice to chip in offensively when I can.”
While Vegas has acquired considerable talent since their remarkable first season, including captain Mark Stone, top center Jack Eichel and Marner, deep respect remains for the original Golden Knights roster, including Reilly Smith, who was traded away and later reacquired and had been playing until Karlsson’s return.
“They mean everything,” Howden said. “They’re the ones that built this team from the ground up. They built a culture here, starting from the top down. But those guys were here from the start, and they lead the way. They’re unbelievable leaders in the room.”
