- Tortorella says Vegas will be back in Raleigh for a Game 7 after dropping Game 5
- He called a question about benching Carter Hart “the stupidest question I’ve heard”
- Read below for the full quotes and where the series stands
John Tortorella isn’t packing up just yet.
The Golden Knights dropped Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final 4-2 in Raleigh on Thursday and fell behind 3-2 in the series for the first time. Their head coach still expects to make the trip back to Carolina for a seventh game.
Tortorella was asked about the road in front of his team after the loss.
“We’re just going to get ready for our next game. We’ll be back here,” he said. “We’re just going to do it in a different order.”
Hear from Tortorella and the Knights after Game 5:
He even plans to leave his wardrobe behind in North Carolina.
“We have to find a way. I’m going to leave my clothes here. That’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel,” Tortorella said.
Tortorella had no patience for talk of a goalie change, either. Carter Hart has started all five games, and Carolina has scored at least four goals in every one of them. A reporter asked if the coach considered going to Adin Hill in the third period.
“That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard,” he shot back.
Carolina has now found the back of the net four-plus times in five straight games. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Jordan Staal kept his Cup Final goal streak alive to push the Canes within a win.
Catch the Game 5 highlights:
Vegas also walked out of Lenovo Center sweating an injury to William Karlsson, who left the game and did not return. A lineup that already needs more offense may have to find it shorthanded.
Game 6 goes Sunday in Vegas. Win that one and the Knights head back to Raleigh on Wednesday, the different order Tortorella was talking about. Carolina sits one victory from the second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Tortorella’s clothes are staying in Raleigh. Now his team has to give him a reason to come back for them.
