- John Tortorella shot down a question about benching Carter Hart for Adin Hill
- Hart has allowed four or more goals in all five games of the Stanley Cup Final
- Read below for what Tortorella said and why he’s staying with Hart in Game 6
John Tortorella has no interest in pulling Carter Hart.
The Golden Knights coach got asked Thursday night whether he considered going to Adin Hill in the third period of Vegas’ 4-2 Game 5 loss in Raleigh. Daily Faceoff’s Jonny Lazarus put the question to him, and Tortorella didn’t hide how he felt about it.
“Christ, that could be the stupidest question I’ve heard,” he fired back:
Hart’s numbers are why the question came up in the first place. He has allowed four or more goals in every game of the Final, including three in the third period alone on Thursday. No goalie had ever given up four-plus in each of the first five games of a Cup Final until Hart did it.
His series line sits at .856 with 20 goals against on 139 shots. Carolina flipped a 2-1 hole into a 3-2 series lead with back-to-back wins.
Tortorella is doubling down, and he put money where his mouth is. He said he’s leaving his clothes in his Raleigh hotel room because he plans on being back for Game 7.
“I’m going to leave my clothes here, that’s for sure,” he said.
Watch Tortorella meet the media after Game 5:
The other option is Hill, who hasn’t played a minute this postseason. He backstopped Vegas to the Cup in 2023 with a .932 save percentage that spring, but he slipped to an .870 across 27 games this year. Right now Tortorella trusts Hart more.
Game 6 goes Sunday night at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena, and Hart will be the one trying to keep Vegas alive.
