A prime example came in the last game of Pittsburgh’s five-game road trip against the Hurricanes, with just over five minutes left to play in regulation.
First, Karlsson negated a clearing attempt from Carolina along the right boards with his left skate. The Penguins then worked the puck back to Karlsson on the right point.
He proceeded to calmly deke around Sebastian Aho, with one of the best two-way forwards in the game losing his footing in the process. Karlsson moved into the slot, picked his spot, and absolutely sniped a shot past Freddie Andersen.
It tied the game at 4-4, helping the Penguins get a point in an eventual 6-5 overtime setback. It was the second time that night that Karlsson had knotted the score.
“There’s not too many guys in the league who can do what he does, especially when he’s at the top of his game,” Bryan Rust said. “He’s helping being a calming presence, both on the ice, on the bench, too. When we get in these shaky situations, it’s great having a guy like that back there.”
“When things are tight, who’s going to be able to create that momentum shift or create that play? Erik’s done that throughout the year. He’s been great for us all year,” Muse said.