- Tortorella took over Vegas with eight games left in the regular season
- He’s now one of just three coaches to reach a Cup Final after a takeover that late, joining Neilson and Robinson
- Read below for the Wyshynski stat, Mark Stone on the “jolt of energy,” and the Game 4 postgame video
John Tortorella just became the third coach in NHL history to reach a Stanley Cup Final after being hired this late in a regular season.
Vegas swept the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night to clinch the Western Conference. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski flagged the stat after Game 4, crediting ESPN Insights: Tortorella is one of just three coaches to reach a Cup Final after being hired with 10 or fewer games left in the regular season.
Roger Neilson took over the 1981-82 Canucks with five games left after Harry Neale’s suspension and rode “Towel Power” all the way to the Final against the Islanders dynasty. Larry Robinson, promoted from assistant by Lou Lamoriello with eight games left in 1999-2000, then went on to win the Cup with the Devils.
Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy on March 29 with eight games to play. A Pacific Division title, six-game series wins over Utah and Anaheim, and a four-game wipeout of the Presidents’ Trophy winners later, he’s the third name on that list.
Captain Mark Stone caught up with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan right after the Game 4 win and was asked what Tortorella had changed in such a short window.
“Just brought a jolt of energy, I think. He didn’t change a ton. I think he trusts us. We’ve been here before. So I think he came in and just tweaked a few things. He really just gave us a shot of adrenaline since joining the team.”
Catch Stone, Tortorella, Eichel, Marner and the rest of the room break down the sweep on the Knights’ postgame stream:
Colorado had no answer. Vegas held Nathan MacKinnon without a goal across the entire series, and Scott Wedgewood lost the crease to Mackenzie Blackwood mid-series after the Knights chased him.
Stone opened the scoring on Tuesday. Cole Smith doubled the lead late, and Gabe Landeskog’s response came too little, too late for the Avs.
Next up for the Knights: a Stanley Cup Final matchup waiting on the East, where the Carolina Hurricanes lead Montreal 2-1 heading into Wednesday’s Game 4.
