William Karlsson, former fan favorite of the Columbus Blue Jackets, has been playing well so far in Las Vegas. His team is currently 8-3-0 and tied with the Jackets sitting at 16 points.
Playing center and wing, William Karlsson has been a force for the Vegas Golden Knights. This comes after an impressive playoff performance with the Columbus Blue Jackets led him to be taken via expansion draft.
So far, Karlsson has seven points in 11 games with the Golden Knights, good for an average of .63 PPG. With Columbus, he had a .28 PPG in 165 games. His seven points thus far has him tied for fifth most on the Golden Knights.
Recently, Wild Bill managed to score the first short-handed goal in Golden Knights history.
Can you say "opportunistic?" William Karlsson makes the Isles pay. pic.twitter.com/I6O95Ohxi8
— Ryan Quigley (@ryanquigz) October 30, 2017
He’s been getting playing time on the penalty kill and on the power play. Even with the Blue Jackets power play woes, he may not have seen much time on the PP here so good for him for taking advantage.
Karlsson also scored an overtime goal a few nights back, beating the St. Louis Blues with the game-winner:
Making a home in Vegas
Wild Bill is making a name for himself out west. It seems as if the situation almost fits him perfectly, as he has benefited so far from the increased role in Vegas.
It would’ve been a bit more difficult for him to elevate in Columbus with Alexander Wennberg, and now Nick Foligno, taking most of the minutes at center.
Speaking of Foligno, Karlsson just might be wearing No. 71 in Vegas because of the Blue Jackets captain.
I did have a former teammate that inspired me actually! He was a good guy 😉
— William Karlsson (@WKarlsson71) October 14, 2017
He pretty much admits to it in this thread, so I’ll say it’s safe to confirm.
It’s sad to see Wild Bill in Vegas, but since he’s there, its nice to have him playing so well. The Golden Knights face the Blue Jackets for the first time this year on January 23rd in Las Vegas.