It took one play for William Karlsson and Reilly Smith to not miss a beat.
With 4:53 left in the first period Thursday, Karlsson took possession in the corner. He fired a backhand pass to a cutting Smith alone in front, only for the shot to be saved by Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
“One thing I did well there on that shift, especially the pass to Reilly,” Karlsson said. “Too bad it wasn’t meant to be.”
That was the kind of offense the Golden Knights had consistently in their 5-1 win over the Bruins at T-Mobile Arena.
Karlsson, in particular, helped where he could. He had an assist and was a plus-1 in 15:54 in his return after missing the past 20 games with a lower-body injury.
It also marked the first time the Original Misfits were back together since Smith was reacquired from the New York Rangers on March 6.
How did Karlsson feel?
“Pretty good,” he said. “Good to be back out there with the fellas, and the body felt good. Can’t complain.”
The Knights (40-20-8) used a near-60-minute performance to bounce back after a tough end to their four-game eastern road trip, highlighted by a three-goal third period and a hat trick for right wing Pavel Dorofeyev.
Karlsson had a solid first game back in what was the Knights’ first game with their entire forward group intact.
“I figured his pace would be there,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think he’s feeling really good. His body and his legs, that part of it. It’s the rust of playing with people around you. It’s hard to get that, especially this time of year when we’re not practicing much.”
Karlsson said while there were plenty of good moments, he felt he and Smith needed to be “a little sharper” and “probably a little more selfish, too.”
That was to be expected in not just Karlsson’s first game back since Jan. 20, but he and Smith’s first action together in almost two years.
The Knights were outshot 12-7 with Karlsson and Smith on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick. Cassidy said he thinks it won’t take long for them to find that chemistry again.
The rust looked gone by the third period. More notably, the line looked at its best when Brett Howden switched with Nicolas Roy, and Howden scored to push the lead to 3-0 early in the third period.
It started with Karlsson retrieving the loose puck down low, getting up in transition and finding Howden to cash in on the three-on-one.
“(It) started with typical William Karlsson, grabbing pucks down low in our end, playing good defense, being in the right spot,” Cassidy said.
Injuries might be … good?
Cassidy brought up an interesting point when discussing Karlsson’s return.
“He has a bit of catching up to do, but sometimes this time of year, that’s not a bad thing,” he said. “He’s excited to play where other guys have played a lot and it’s the mental grind. He at least doesn’t have to go through that. It’s the excitement of being back in the lineup. There’s always a positive to it, sometimes, when a guy misses that much time.”
Karlsson was supposed to take part in the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team Sweden. The injury was severe enough to keep him out of representing his country, something Karlsson has yet to do in a best-on-best setting.
But the main talking point since the tournament has been the importance of rest and being at peak health heading into the playoffs.
Karlsson coming back and rounding out the Knights’ forward group in the final month of the regular season might, in fact, be the positive Cassidy mentions.
And suddenly, it’s not just Karlsson.
Theodore on verge
Defenseman Shea Theodore, who suffered a broken wrist Feb. 12 during the 4 Nations, has been cleared for full contact at practice and is on the verge of a return.
The Knights have had good bills of health for most of the season. Karlsson’s 20 games are the most a top-nine forward has missed this season.
If there was a time for this to happen, it would be now with the Knights leading the Pacific Division with 14 games remaining.
There’s no room for long-term injured reserve jokes this season.
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Red Wings at Golden Knights
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV/radio: ABC; KKGK (1340 AM, 98.9 FM)
Line: Knights -220; total 6
