John Tortorella era overcomes rocky start to begin with crucial two points
Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella speaks to the media after a victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, March 30, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. When John Tortorella was introduced as the new head coach for the Vegas Golden Knights, the move was presented as one that would bring energy and emotion to a team in desperate need of it. By the time the final horn sounded, the refrains given by the players about Tortorella’s scheme were very similar.
“I think the messaging was different. Structurally, I thought we were similar,” said Reilly Smith. “There was an added emphasis on playing faster and north and, as the game went on, that kind of tracked a little better for us.
” “We were playing a little bit slower than we wanted to,” added forward Cole Smith. “In between periods, we wanted to just make sure we kept playing our game, but play it faster. ” Though it took some time for the messages to materialize, the Golden Knights pulled through when it mattered most to defeat the Vancouver Canucks on Monday by a score of 4-2, securing two crucial points in a tight playoff race.
The first period was clearly one of adjustment for Tortorella and the Golden Knights, who still lacked energy for the better part of the opening 20 minutes. Slow starts continue to persist, highlighted by Evander Kane finishing a two-on-one rush to get the opening goal of the Vegas menace’s 1000th career NHL game. “We looked nervous in the first period, and we were slow,” said Tortorella in his postgame press conference .
“First period, we were making way too many D-to-D plays…playing sideways. ” After some tinkering to the lineup by Tortorella, the Golden Knights appeared to find their game in the second period. It would lead to more chances before Rasmus Andersson was able to collect the rebound from Noah Hanifin’s shot and fire it past Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen to tie the game.
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