Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

A Nico thought:

👀 Although talks are ongoing, my speculation is that C Hischier and @NJDevils will land on a medium term contract extension somewhere between
11M- 13M range … #HockeyXpic.twitter.com/UgX43i5Cjj

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 11, 2026

Sunny speaks:

“There’s no doubt the 2025-26 season was a disappointment for the New Jersey Devils, but with that should come change, unlike last offseason. New GM Sunny Mehta will likely be busy this summer, as the Devils’ roster has a few holes to address. What should Mehta prioritize via trades and free agency?” [Devils on the Rush]

“The New Jersey Devils need a top-six forward this summer. Not only is Jordan Kyrou a strong candidate, but he’s also a realistic target. The Devils have plenty going for them with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt leading the charge, but their top-six scoring dried up too often last year. Even-strength production was a real sore spot, and it showed in the standings. Bringing in a winger who can generate chances, finish plays, and keep up with that pace would go a long way toward fixing it. Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues keeps coming up as someone who fits that bill pretty cleanly.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]

Hockey Links

The Hurricanes are one win away from the Stanley Cup:

THE CANES ARE ONE WIN AWAY FROM THE #STANLEYCUP!!! 😱😱😱

Game 6 between the @Canes and @GoldenKnights is Sunday at 8p ET on ABC, @Sportsnet, & @TVASports! pic.twitter.com/GHTYHbNYui

— NHL (@NHL) June 12, 2026

Nikita Kucherov wins the Hart:

Nikita Kucherov is the Hart Memorial Trophy winner for the second time in his career! 🏆 #NHLAwards

The Hart Trophy is awarded annually to the League MVP. pic.twitter.com/ptDFvqmsMW

— NHL (@NHL) June 11, 2026

“The NHLPA expects a full NHL investigation of coach Mike Babcock before the Edmonton Oilers can hire him, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The investigation would cover Babcock’s time with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023, when he was hired but never coached a game for the team.” [ESPN]

“As the Edmonton Oilers navigate hiring Mike Babcock as head coach, they continue on another path: finding a new home for one of their longest-tenured players, alternate captain Darnell Nurse. Last week, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported the Oilers would like to trade Nurse, and, according to multiple sources, the defenceman recently went to the organization and said he would like to be traded. He now feels it is time for him to move on.” [Sportsnet]

“There might not be another player in the entire National Hockey League with as unique a resume as Taylor Hall. He won two Memorial Cups in junior and was drafted first overall into the NHL. Eight years later, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. And now, another eight years later, Hall is putting himself firmly in the conversation for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded each year to the NHL’s playoff MVP.” [Daily Faceoff]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

David Reinbacher wasn’t the only young Montreal Canadiens blueliner to make his NHL debut this season; Adam Engstrom did as well, and he even got to spend 15 games with the big club. It wasn’t all that surprising, though, since the 22-year-old Swedish prospect was absolutely dominant in the AHL with the Laval Rocket.

As a result, Engstrom was named to the AHL Top Prospects Team earlier this week. In 45 games with the Rocket, he put up 34 points, including 10 goals, received only 18 penalty minutes and finished his season with a plus-14 rating.

Canadiens: What’s Next For David Reinbacher?
One Last Goodbye For Loyal Fans?
Canadiens Dobes’ Goalie Mindset Coach Speaks To Marinaro

While Engstrom was only a third-round pick (92nd overall) in the 2022 draft by the Canadiens, he has developed admirably and raised his stock accordingly. If he were a right-shot defenseman, he likely would have spent the season in Montreal, allowing the Canadiens to play Lane Hutson on his natural side.

Given the fact that the Habs have Hutson, Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle on the left side, it’s not hard to imagine that the Canadiens could be tempted to use Engstrom in a deal to address the organizational needs that are the second-line center and a top-four right-shot defenseman. That’s not to say that Engstrom on his own would bring back that kind of return, but he could certainly be part of a package that would.

There’s also a line of thinking that dictates it would make sense for the Habs to part ways with Guhle, not because he’s not a good defenseman, he definitely is, but because of how often he is injured. When the puck drops on the new season, Guhle will be entering the 2nd year of his six-year contract with a $5.5 million cap hit. It’s not too expensive for that kind of punishing defenseman who can, as Cole Caufield so eloquently put it, “bury people.” It becomes expensive, however, if you cannot rely on him for more than 50 games and need a backup plan.

It’s a shame because the Canadiens lack sandpaper and should be adding some rather than discarding it. If the Habs decide to part ways with Guhle and promote Engstrom, he’s certainly not the guy who will bring that element to the lineup. It means that if the return for the trade is a right-shot blueliner, he not only needs to be able to play in the top-four, but he needs to be able to deliver bone-crushing hits as well, making him an even rarer specimen for Kent Hughes to find. 

---

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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Seventeen years ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins stunned the Detroit Red Wings to win the team’s third Stanley Cup title.

The Penguins were heavy underdogs in the Stanley Cup Final series against the Red Wings, who were the defending champions from the prior year.

Pittsburgh seemed extremely outmatched during stretches of the series, losing all three road games in Detroit, but winning Games 3, 4, and 6 to force a deciding Game 7 back at Joe Louis Arena.

Maxime Talbot opened the scoring early in the second period of the game, beating goaltender Chris Osgood to make it a 1-0 game.

Sidney Crosby left the game with a knee injury, but the Penguins kept pressing on.

Maxime Talbot was the star of the game, scoring a second goal near the midway point of the second period, picking a corner against Osgood to make it 2-0 Pittsburgh.

From there, it seemed like the Penguins were hanging on for dear life.

Jonathan Ericsson got the Red Wings on the board and Niklas Kronwall nearly tied the game, hitting the crossbar with a shot with just over 2 minutes remaining in the contest.

With the Penguins hanging on, Marc-Andre Fleury made a diving save on Nicklas Lidstrom as time was expiring and as time expired, the Penguins were Stanley Cup champions.

So…anybody gonna be in San Antonio Saturday?

What a month this has been for the NHL and NBA finals, each with tremendously entertaining series and, in the Knicks’ case, the chance to make a city explode and unite around a title not seen in half a century.

A cup win for Raleigh or Vegas would be…less impactful, but it will still be the conclusion to a riveting series.

As for us, check back later for an outstanding Weird Islanders episode with former Isles beatwriter Arthur Staple discussing the weird Nino Niederreiter year (and a bonus run-in with Jack Capuano).

Islanders News

• Anders Lee update-non-update: Isles would still like to keep him (but at what cost?) and he’d like to stay (but at what cost?), so the betting is he’ll reach free agency. [LeBrun rumbling at Athletic]
• The Isles have signed Daylan [sic] Kuefler to another two-way deal, this one for two years. [Isles]
• Matthew Schaefer was there for the Knicks’ amazing comeback in Game 4. [THN]

Elsewhere

• The Hurricanes are one win away after a somewhat comfortable (by this series’ standards) Game 5 win at home. [NHL]
• Jordan Staal is the first guy to score in five consecutive Stanley Cup final games in 50 years. [Sportsnet]
• The NHL will further investigate Mike Babcock’s douchebaggery in Columbus, what with Edmonton seeking permission to hire him to kill their team off. [Athletic]
• Speaking of the Oilers, Darnell Nurse says yeah fer sure, you can trade me. [Sportsnet]
• Nikita Kucherov was awarded the Hart Trophy for some reason. [NHL]
• Former Canucks GM Patrik Allvin joins the Kraken as one of several assistant GMs. [Sportsnet]
• Ask a dumb question, spend a thousand words on a dumb non-answer. [Athletic]

Erling Haaland swapped the football pitch for the ice rink as he and his Norway team-mates took in a Stanley Cup match.

The Norway contingent provided lively support for the Carolina Hurricanes in game five of the NHL play-off series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.

The Manchester City forward, who will make his long-awaited World Cup debut against Iraq on 16 June (23:00 BST), cut a relaxed figure at the Lenovo Centre in Raleigh, waving to the crowd when the Norway team appeared on the scoreboard screen and swinging a Hurricanes rally towel around his head.

Arriving at the game in a grey polo shirt, he was later filmed beaming in a white and red Hurricanes jersey emblazoned with the number nine – the same number he wears for both club and country.

The Hurricanes, targeting their first Stanley Cup crown for 20 years, lead the Golden Knights 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, completing a 4-2 regulation win in game five.

Norway are playing at their first World Cup since 1998 – and their first major tournament since Euro 2000 – and have already made a mark despite not starting their campaign until next Tuesday.

The squad donned authentic Viking dress for an epic send-off photograph by acclaimed British photographer David Yarrow, titled The Vikings Are Coming, and have also paid tribute to their players' roots with a team photo featuring the shirts of their first clubs.

Norway are based in Greensboro, North Carolina – about 80 miles from the Hurricanes' Raleigh home – for the duration of the tournament, with the opportunity to watch the blue riband event of the NHL season coming less than a fortnight after the men's national ice hockey team shocked Canada in overtime to clinch the bronze medal at the World Championships.

After facing Iraq in their World Cup opener in Boston, Norway travel to New Jersey to play Senegal (23 June, 01:00 BST) before returning to Boston for a meeting with France (26 June, 20:00 BST).

• Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game
• World Cup fixtures and group standings
• How to watch the World Cup on the BBC
• Everything you need to know about the World Cup

RALEIGH, N.C.– The Vegas Golden Knights entered the third period of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in a familiar position: trailing their opponent by multiple goals. But on Thursday, for the first time in a long time, they weren’t able to come back from that multi-goal deficit.

The Golden Knights spent most of the regular season playing from behind. They finished the regular season with 1,965 minutes spent trailing their opponents– second only to the 32nd-place Vancouver Canucks– and still won the Pacific Division. 

This is a veteran team that doesn’t panic and never says die. This is a team that has been able to erase multi-goal deficits at will and emerge triumphant on the other side. But they’ve been playing with fire all year, and they finally got burned.

Now, their season is on the line.

“We’re just gonna get ready for our next game,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 loss.

Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. PST on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

1. Lost in the Wilderness

The Golden Knights losing Game 5 to fall behind 3-2 in the series isn’t great for their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup. However, it’s possible that the final score wasn’t the worst loss the Golden Knights suffered in Game 5. 

At 8:19 in the second period, William Karlsson took a hit from Sean Walker along the boards. It was a seemingly harmless play, a typical, run-of-the-mill check. But Karlsson went to the bench cradling his left arm, spent a few moments talking with the trainers, and headed down the tunnel. He did not return to the game, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that Karlsson left the arena to seek further medical attention.

Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella indirectly provided an update on Karlsson postgame– and it doesn’t sound good.

“He’s an important piece to us,” said Tortorella following the 4-2 loss. “Up the middle of the ice, penalty killer, power play guy. He’s a winner. But having said that– it’s all good stuff– he’s not gonna be with us, probably. We gotta find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy, but as a team.”

2. Shame, Shame, Shame!

Game 5 was a strange game. The Golden Knights fought until the final horn and threatened until the last second. But in many ways, they lost the game nine minutes into the second period.

At 8:56 in the second, Jeremy Lauzon took a dumb penalty. As Logan Stankoven sped towards the corners to try and win a footrace to a loose puck, Lauzon caught him in the stomach with a cross-check and flipped the smaller winger like a sack of baby potatoes. 

The Golden Knights killed it off. But as Lauzon stepped out of the box, Brayden McNabb boarded Jackson Blake and took another penalty. The Hurricanes took the lead a minute into the ensuing power play.

The Hurricanes, who were so sound when playing with the lead before this series, took off and never looked back. They tacked on another before the period ended and extended their lead on the power play halfway through the third.

“We had a really good start,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the loss. “We lost momentum when we took back-to-back penalties.”

3. GUA-RAN-TEE!

For the first time in 48 days, the Vegas Golden Knights look vulnerable. For the first time in 48 days, they lost two games in a row. For the first time in 48 days, they are trailing in a series.

John Tortorella isn’t worried.

Following the 4-2 loss, Tortorella sat at the podium and said that his team would be back at the Lenovo Center for Game 7. In fact, he guaranteed it. 

“We’ll be back here,” he said. “We’re just gonna do it in a different order.”

Less than a minute later, he doubled down on his promise.

“I’m gonna leave my clothes here,” Tortorella swore. “That’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”

The Golden Knights have a steep hill to climb, and without William Karlsson in the lineup, that hill becomes even steeper. 

But there was a time when they looked like a one-and-done team. It’s been a while, but the Golden Knights have been down in a series before– and they were without Karlsson’s services then, too. And they certainly weren’t supposed to get past Colorado.

Yes, it’s a steep hill to climb. But they’ve spent two months proving everyone wrong. What’s one more time?

The Vegas Golden Knights lost Game 5 and key forward William Karlsson on Thursday, June 11.

But coach John Tortorella was in form afterward, essentially guaranteeing the Stanley Cup Final would return to Raleigh, North Carolina, for Game 7 and ripping a reporter's question about the goaltending.

"We're going to find a way," he said. "I'm going to leave my clothes here, that's for sure. They'll be in the hotel."

The Carolina Hurricanes won 4-2 as Jordan Staal scored for the fifth game in a row and first-line players Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho broke through with three goals. Brandon Bussi made 23 saves in his second consecutive start since replacing Frederik Andersen at the start of the third period of Game 3.

Tortorella took exception when a reporter asked if he considered replacing Carter Hart with Adin Hill for the start of the third period on Thursday. Hart has given up four goals in every game of the series.

"Oh for Christ - that could be the stupidest question I've heard," he said.

The Golden Knights had some positives with Pavel Dorofeyev scoring twice to end a drought. Jack Eichel had two assists.

But Hart will need to outplay Bussi in Game 6 and the Golden Knights will need to solve the Hurricanes' power play without penalty killer Karlsson for Tortorella's vow to come true.

Jordan Staal ties NHL record with Game 5 goal

Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal's five-game streak in the Stanley Cup Final tied an NHL record and put him in elite company.

He joined Hall of Famers Yvan Cournoyer (1973), Jean Beliveau (1956), Maurice Richard (1951) and Fred "Cyclone" Taylor (1918) with the streak. Staal would pass them if he scores in Game 6 on Sunday in Las Vegas.

Hurricanes coach glad for two-day break

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said he's grateful that there are two days off before Game 6 in order to tamp down the excitement about winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup title since 2006.

"I don't think it will be too hard to focus this group," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golden Knights' John Tortorella vows Game 7 return, defends goaltender

The Golden Knights are on the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup Final after losing Game 5 to the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2, on Thursday.

The teams return to Vegas for Game 6 on Sunday, as the Golden Knights look to stave off elimination and force a Game 7, which would be in Raleigh, North Carolina on Wednesday.

Though Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring 6:52 into the game with a power-play goal to give Vegas a 1-0 lead, the Hurricanes answered shortly thereafter to thwart the Knights' energy, as Jordan Staal scored his sixth goal of the series.

Pav's 11th (!!!) goal of the playoffs
🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪🚪 pic.twitter.com/MtMvOk0epj

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 12, 2026

After being outscored 9-1 in the second period through the first four games, the Hurricanes outscored the Knights 2-0 on Thursday to secure a 3-1 lead after two periods, getting goals from Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho.

Svechnikov added a power-play goal in the third, to push Carolina's lead to 4-1 before Dorofeyev scored his second goal a little more than two minutes later to cut the lead in half.

Battlin' pic.twitter.com/uBO5Ov9FXd

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 12, 2026

Carolina goalie Brandon Bussi was in lockdown mode, however, as he stopped 23 shots on the night.

Vegas netminder Carter Hart, who made 20 saves, allowed four goals for the fifth straight game.

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) scores against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) and defenseman K'andre Miller (19) during the third period in game five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.

The Vegas Golden Knights lost more than Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes. They lost a key player.

Golden Knights forward William Karlsson left the Thursday, June 11 game in the second period after absorbing a check from Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker along the boards.

A trainer looked at Karlsson's arm on the bench and Karlsson skated to the dressing room. He didn't return and ABC reported that Karlsson left Lenovo Center to undergo further examination.

Golden Knights coach John Tortorella looked discouraged when the trainer came out to talk to him. He gave a discouraging postgame report on Karlsson's status for the rest of the series.

William Karlsson rentre au vestiaire après cette mise en échec reçue... pic.twitter.com/2RoHCW48lZ

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 12, 2026

William Karlsson injury update

Tortorella said he had no update on Karlsson but didn't sound positive about the player's status.

"He's not going to be with us probably," he said. "We've got to find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy but as a team."

Karlsson had two goals and two assists in the Final. He was limited to 14 games in the regular season, but his return late in the regular season was one of several factors that helped the Golden Knights clinch a playoff berth.

"He's an important piece for us," Tortorella said. "Penalty killer. Power play guy. He's a winner."

The Hurricanes lead the series 3-2 after the 4-2 victory and can clinch their first Stanley Cup title since 2006 on Sunday, June 14 in Game 6 at Las Vegas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: William Karlsson leaves Game 5, 'probably' out for series

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes had spent the NHL playoffs waiting for their power play to get going, along with top-line performers Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho.

And they had spent the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final being outplayed in critical second-period sequences.

On Thursday night, it all came together, aligning to bring the Hurricanes within a victory of winning the Cup.

Svechnikov scored twice and Aho added a second-period goal in a breakout offensive game for both, helping the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“I liked our effort for sure, and I hope we’re getting better,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I think there’s certain areas of our game that are starting to look a lot like we need it to look. But I do think there’s still another level that we’re going to need to get to find that next one.”

Captain Jordan Staal found the net again for the fifth straight game in this series after Vegas had taken a 1-0 first-period lead, while Brandon Bussi finished with 23 saves in his second career postseason start.

Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas, with the Hurricanes playing for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since Brind’Amour captained them to the title in 2006.

Aho’s goal in the second period marked his first of the series, coming when Sean Walker found him cutting to the left side after Jordan Martinook — swapped with Seth Jarvis to work alongside Aho and Svechnikov on the top line — won a puck battle behind the net on the forecheck.

Then there was Svechnikov, who entered Thursday with four postseason goals before striking twice on the power play. On the first, he whipped the puck past Carter Hart on the right side for a 2-1 lead in the second period.

On the second, he had a short putaway at the post off a sharp feed from Nikolaj Ehlers for a 4-1 lead, one of three assist for Ehlers on the night that included him having two delay-of-game penalties for putting a puck over the glass.

Before those second-period scores, Vegas had outscored Carolina 9-1 in the second period during the series.

And unlike most multi-goal leads in what has been a wild and thrilling series, this one held up with Bussi doing enough to stave off Vegas’ late push to climb back in it.

“It required everything we have,” Staal said on the ESPN broadcast.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice for Vegas, finding the net for the first time since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado.

“I thought we were still doing some good things,” Vegas’ Jack Eichel said. “We had chances.”

Hart entered this one as the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to give up at least four goals in each of the first four games, then did it again to continue a difficult series while finishing with 20 saves.

Asked if he considered swapping to backup Adin Hill, coach John Tortorella responded: “That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”

Vegas had twice before been in a 2-2 series in these playoffs, in the first round against Utah and the second round against Anaheim. Both times, the Golden Knights won Game 5 and closed out the series in Game 6.

This time, they’ll have to win on home ice to force the series back to Carolina for a Game 7 on Wednesday night. And they’ll have to take two in a row against a Hurricanes team that hasn’t suffered consecutive losses since mid-January.

Not that Tortorella was fazed.

“We’ll be back here,” he said confidently, saying he would leave his clothes behind at the team’s hotel in expectation of returning to North Carolina.

Vegas played much of the night without center William Karlsson, who was being checked out on the bench for an apparent upper-body injury. Karlsson skated to the tunnel midway through the second period and didn’t return. Tortorella said the center was “not going to be with us, probably” in the coming games.

The Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night, 4-2, to take a 3-2 series lead and come within one game of lifting the Stanley Cup. 

After struggling for the majority of the postseason, both the power play and two of Carolina’s top three regular season scorers — Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho — carried the Canes to a big win on Thursday night. Svechnikov scored two power play goals while Aho found the back of the net for the first time in the Stanley Cup. 

Nikolaj Ehlers gave the Knights a power play a little less than seven minutes into the first period on a delay of game penalty. 

The Knights, after being just 1-for-12 on the power play in the first four games, capitalized courtesy of Pavel Dorofeyev, who found the back of the net on a cross ice pass from Jack Eichel. 

It didn’t take long for Carolina to respond, though. And who else but Jordan Staal. After getting the penalty, Ehlers redeemed himself with a great shot-pass to the front of the net that was tipped in by Staal for his sixth goal of the Stanley Cup so far. 

After the first, the score was knotted at 1-1. Uncharacteristically, the Canes were outshot, 8-5, by the Knights. 

There wasn’t much offensive action for either side in the first 10 minutes of the second period, but two straight Vegas penalties changed that. 

The Golden Knights killed the first, but it was Svechnikov who went five-hole on the second power play, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead in the second period. In the first four games, Carolina was outscored 9-1 in the second, but it was a different story tonight. 

That was all that was needed to get the top line for the Canes going it seemed. With a little over two minutes in the second, a great forecheck from Jordan Martinook led to a goal from Aho, who went high over Carter Hart. It marked Aho’s first goal of the series, giving the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead in the second.

For the first time in the Stanley Cup, Carolina outplayed Vegas in the second period, entering the third with a 3-1 advantage and just 20 minutes away from their first series lead. 

Carolina picked up right where they left off in the third period. After Mark Stone was called for a double minor for high sticking Jalen Chatfield, Svechnikov scored his second power play goal of the night on a great pass from Ehlers. 

Dorofeyev added his second of the game with a little over six minutes left in the game to cut Carolina’s lead to two goals. 

The Canes were able to hold the Knights off and secure the big win, with Bussi saving 22 of 24 shots.

The Stanley Cup will be in the building as the Hurricanes have a chance to lift it for the first time since 2006 on the road Sunday at 8 PM. 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — William Karlsson left the ice, and the Vegas Golden Knights' night went south. He may not be back to help them recover.

With Karlsson knocked out of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final because of injury, the Golden Knights took four penalties that turned into two power-play goals against. Carter Hart allowed four goals for a fifth consecutive game in the series, and now his team is on the brink of elimination after losing 4-2 to Carolina on Thursday night.

“When we lose Bill, it kind of screws things up," coach John Tortorella said. “We lost momentum when we went back to back in penalties. It was about the same time that we lost Bill. We’ve got to find a way.”

Karlsson appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder after getting knocked into the boards by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker a little over eight minutes into the second period. He got medical attention on the bench briefly, skated off and never returned and Tortorella foreshadowed that being the end of Karlsson's series.

“He’s not going to be with us, probably,” Tortorella said. "We’ve got to find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy but as a team.”

Karlsson making his playoff debut at the start of the second round changed everything for Vegas, shifting Mitch Marner to the wing and providing the kind of strong, reliable center depth needed to win this time of year. Karlsson had nine points in 14 games after missing the previous six months because of an undisclosed injury.

But the void left by Karlsson’s departure was all too clear, especially on the penalty kill. Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored the first of his two power-play goals less than four minutes after Karlsson left, then added another in the third.

“He’s an important piece to us: up the middle of the ice, a penalty killer, power play guy," Tortorella said. “He’s a winner."

Fourth-liner Nick Dowd called Karlsson one of the team's best players. Defenseman Brayden McNabb, who along with Karlsson and Shea Theodore are the only players who have been around for Vegas’ entire nine-year existence, said Karlsson was a big leader in the locker room.

Karlsson is also nearly impossible to replace.

“He means so much," fellow center Jack Eichel said. "He’s a world class player. He plays in all situations. He’s extremely reliable in our own zone, and he creates a lot of offense. ... It's tough. You lose someone like Karl who’s so valuable to our team and playing so well. But it just means everyone else has to step up.”

Tortorella expects that to happen, promising there will be a Game 7 in Raleigh on Tuesday night.

“We’ll be back here. We’re just going to do it in a different order," Tortorella said. "I’m going to leave my clothes here, that’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”

To do that, they'll have to win Game 6 back home in Las Vegas on Sunday. Hart is expected to be in net again despite a save percentage of .856 in the final.

Asked if he considered going to backup Adin Hill — who backstopped Vegas to the Cup in 2023 — in the third period, Tortorella scoffed and said, "That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to take a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

If the Philadelphia Flyers really do decide to trade with the Edmonton Oilers and acquire Darnell Nurse, any realistic scenario ends in a win for them, no matter what.

Social media tells a different story, but Nurse, 31, is a very serviceable and solid NHL defenseman.

Typecast as a No. 1 for the Oilers for a longtime, and given an annual $9.25 million albatross cap hit, Nurse does some things well, and other things not so well.

A fluid athlete and a nephew of Eagles legend Donovan McNabb, Nurse thrives using his legs, toughness, physicality, and skill, though his decision-making and hockey IQ have consistently held him back throughout his career.

That's a fine gamble for the Flyers, though.

In recent years, smaller defenders like Cam York and Emil Andrae have established themselves as NHL defenders, while Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen underwent career renaissances with the Flyers after some bleak years.

Plus, Jamie Drysdale and Nick Seeler, who each looked like a lost cause at this level for different reasons, found homes with the Flyers and leveled up drastically year over year.

With the amount of talent Nurse has, and with a better supporting cast at his position, there is no reason to believe he can't do the same in Philadelphia, even at his age.

The trade cost for Nurse is obviously going to be the main sticking point, both for the Flyers and for the Oilers.

Flyers Weighing Ambitious Trade for $74 Million Oilers DefenderThe Philadelphia Flyers will consider a stunning trade for a big-money Edmonton Oilers defenseman... at the right price.

On one hand, the Oilers are hoping to rid themselves of as much as Nurse's $9.25 million cap hit as they possibly can without paying an egregious price to do it.

The Flyers, too, hope to avoid paying an egregious price, whether that's monetary with the salary, or in terms of assets when it comes to paying for salary retention.

Regardless of the outcome, though, the Flyers win.

If they decide to take on Nurse's full cap hit, it will be because they received a sweetener from the Oilers that they simply could not turn down.

Something of that magnitude would assuredly come via players like Isaac Howard, Beau Akey, and Matthew Savoie, and/or a first-round pick.

And if the Flyers can convince the Oilers to retain money on Nurse's salary, they have plenty of spare assets to make it worthwhile.

Andrae, a pending RFA, would be a cheap, solid addition to Edmonton's blue line, and the Oilers may also see this as an opportunity to add mid-round draft picks to replenish their future draft capital.

The Flyers do not have fourth- or fifth-round picks this year, but they do have two third-round picks in 2027, as well as their fourth and fifth that year.

And, maybe the Oilers consider picking up the signing rights to a goalie, such as Flyers pending RFA Sam Ersson, too?

Each side has lots to offer to the other, though it, of course, comes down to finding a palatable middle ground that benefits both sides to an acceptable degree.

On paper, for the Flyers, adding a skilled, experienced veteran like Nurse comes with few downsides. It just comes down to business, at the end of the day.