John Tortorella didn’t mince words while highlighting the Golden Knights’ foundational players. He hailed defensemen Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore, as well as forward William Karlsson.

During the postgame press conference at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC, Tortorella was asked about the three and their impact. The 67-year-old noted their wherewithal to stay calm and help others follow in their lead, regardless of the game situation.

“Well, I think they're just calm. They've won before. They've been in this situation. The first question about some guys, the foundation of our team, the guts of our team, has been through this before,” said Tortorella, in a video posted by Sam Len on X.

The head coach lauded them for fulfilling their roles during Vegas' comeback win in Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

“We were down 2-0 [to Carolina in Game 1]. There wasn't panic on the bench, and those guys kind of lead the way by not panicking. They don't say much. They just play. And I think other people fall behind them. I think that's so important this time of year,” he added.

As Tortorella mentioned, Vegas erased the 2-0 deficit to secure the 5-4 victory. Forward Tomáš Hertl stepped up with a late-game winner.

Notably, McNabb, Karlsson, and Theodore are veteran members of the Golden Knights, being mainstays since their inaugural season under Gerard Gallant in 2017-18. The trio lost the Stanley Cup Final in their first season in 2018, but remained together in Vegas.

Their loyalty bore fruit, as they won the Stanley Cup with the franchise for the first time in 2023. Now, they're on the cusp of another with Tortorella at the helm.

Tortorella's words for Golden Knights after going down in Game 1

The Golden Knights fell 2-0 down after winger Nikolaj Ehlers' first-period brace early for the Carolina Hurricanes. A few seconds later, Tortorella gave his players a big pep talk on the bench during a TV timeout at 12:28.

“We have thoughts on how to play this team, and we’re down 2-0,” Tortorella said, according to the NHL website. “I don’t think we were playing that way, so we just discussed that.”

McNabb pointed out that Tortorella wanted them not only to stay patient but also to stick to their game plan. Meanwhile, Theodore referenced the coach’s attempt to instill calm and get his players to be on the same page.

“Obviously, we knew they were going to come hard in the first, and sometimes it’s a little bit of a feeling out process," he stated. "But once ‘Torts’ was able to calm us down a little bit, I think we felt a lot better about our game.”

It worked wonders as the Knights mounted their seventh comeback in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are now 10-2 in the postseason.

Game 2 is set on Thursday, June 4, at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC. Back at home and wounded, can the Hurricanes level the series? Or will the Golden Knights deliver another upset?

Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Sijo Paul