With the Vegas Golden Knights in the midst of a tightly contested Stanley Cup Final, Tomas Hertl shed some light on the impact that head coach John Tortorella has had on the locker room since taking over late in the season.

The 67-year-old began his coaching tenure at the Golden Knights on March 29, 2026, with just eight games remaining in the regular season. Tortorella had replaced Bruce Cassidy in the role after the latter was fired due to a massive slump in form for Vegas.

“Guys really like him, but he can be hard, and he will be honest,” said Hertl, perfectly capturing Tortorella’s time at Vegas, as per Sam Lane’s video post on X. “He'll tell you straight to your face, and I think that's a good thing because sometimes somebody works around you and doesn't tell you what they expect.”

Hertl also dived into the way Tortorella has managed to find the best possible results out of a team struggling for form before his arrival at the Golden Knights as head coach. His predecessor, Cassidy, had lost 12 out of their last 17 games to go from first to third place, putting them in a battle for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

“I think he brings out the best from us. He's a great speaker in the locker room. He motivates you,” Hertl explained. “And so far, it's been a lot of fun because we haven't lost many games since he's been here.”

After Tortorella showed up, he ended the regular season with a 7-0-1 record at Golden Knights to secure their spot in the playoffs and win the Pacific title.

In the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs under Tortorella, Vegas defeated the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks 4-2, respectively. After that, they swept the Colorado Avalanche to secure the West title and book their spot in the Stanley Cup Final, in which they are tied 2-2.

Vegas Golden Knights lost to Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final

In a hard-fought Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena, the Vegas Golden Knights lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3.

The first period saw Carolina take a 2-0 lead early with goals from Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. Vegas responded with their captain, Mark Stone, making it 2-1 with a goal at 7:22 after goaltender Brandon Bussi denied him twice on a breakaway on his first start.

Captain Jordan Staal of the Canes restored their two-goal advantage at 12:38 before the second period saw the Golden Knights make it 3-3. William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored in either half of the second period to create yet another Stanley Cup Final classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the third period, Bussi came into his own, making nine saves to keep his end of the bargain. On the offensive side of things, Staal made it 4-3 with 13:28 left on the clock before Nikolaj Ehlers got the scoresheet.

He scored an empty-netter with just 55 seconds remaining to hand Carolina a key win to level the Stanley Cup Final. Game 5 will be played at the Lenovo Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday, June 11.

Who will take the 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup Final after Game 5, Vegas or Carolina? Give us your prediction in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason