Karlsson has been Golden Knights’ ‘most consistent guy’
William Karlsson’s post-goal celebration was perhaps the Golden Knights’ tamest Thursday.
While captain Mark Stone jumped into the glass behind the Winnipeg Jets’ bench and center Jack Eichel raised both gloves to the crowd to egg on their cheers, Karlsson just pumped his right fist before being hugged by teammates in the corner.
That shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of intensity. Coach Bruce Cassidy called Karlsson “one of the most competitive guys I’ve coached” Thursday morning, a weighty compliment considering some of the Hall-of-Fame talents the 57-year-old has coached.
One need only watch one of Karlsson’s shifts to understand what Cassidy sees. The pressure he provides is relentless. It’s been difficult for the Jets to handle two games into their first-round playoff series with the Knights, as Karlsson has two goals and an assist already.
“His motor is impressive,” Stone said. “You think it’s a 3-on-2 for them and he just appears. He brings it. He plays the middle of the ice as well as anyone.”
Karlsson had a simple goal for this season.
“Just be better than last year,” he said in training camp.
He wanted to put his worst offensive season with the Knights — he scored 35 points while missing 15 games, mostly due to a broken foot — behind him. He did. He rebounded to score 53 points, the sixth most on the team.
Focusing on offense undersells Karlsson’s all-around impact, however.
He’s relentless hunting pucks on the forecheck. He doesn’t give opponents an inch to breathe on the backcheck. He shows up, skates his butt off and competes night after night.
Karlsson didn’t miss a game this year for the fourth time in six seasons with the Knights. Cassidy still thinks the 30-year-old has played with more pace than anyone else on the team the last three months.
“He’s been our most consistent guy,” Cassidy said. “He’s got a lot of jump, for whatever reason. Been real good on both sides of the puck. … Love the way he’s playing.”
That same effort level has been present since the start of this series.
Karlsson was one of the few Knights that stood out in a 5-1 Game 1 loss, scoring his team’s lone goal off the rush on an impressive top-corner shot on Connor Hellebuyck. He was just as good in Game 2.
Karlsson erased a 1-0 Knights’ deficit in the second period by simply wanting a puck more. Five Jets players were in the slot area in the second period battling with left wing Reilly Smith and right wing Phil Kessel. Karlsson picked his way through everybody to grab a loose puck, fire it into the net and send the announced crowd of 18,333 at T-Mobile Arena into a frenzy.
His defensive work was outstanding as well. Karlsson spent almost half his five-on-five minutes playing against Winnipeg’s top line of left wing Kyle Connor, center Pierre-Luc Dubois and right wing Mark Scheifele. He was the Knights’ most-used center against that trio.
All three failed to register a point.
Those are the kinds of things Karlsson can do when his engine is revved up. It has been the first two games of this series. Keeping it going shouldn’t be an issue.
With Karlsson, it almost never is.
“I just feel good going out there,” said Karlsson, who jokingly credited his large pasta lunch for his performance. “I have a lot of energy to give.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.