The Vegas Golden Knights didn’t pitch a perfect game to begin the John Tortorella era. They still won.

The same could be said for Tortorella.

“I was calling (Nic) Dowd by a different name,” Tortorella said. “I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

Tortorella wasn’t expecting perfection out of the gates, for himself or his new players, but the Knights will take the wins any way they can get them in this unprecedented time.

The Knights had to rally from down a goal against the team with the fewest points in the NHL, but still secured a win in Tortorella’s debut, 4-2 over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.

“There was some rust,” said Tortorella, coaching his first game in 370 days. “It wasn’t too bad. I got a good feel for the lines.

“I’m still trying to learn nicknames when you’re calling people to go up, but it was good. I’ve leaned on the coaching staff quite a bit.”

Starting out strong

Tortorella made two things clear in his first day on the job.

One, he wasn’t going to reinvent the wheel from what Bruce Cassidy had implemented. The lines stayed the same, with the exception of swapping the top-six centers in the second period.

The power play units remained the same, including the five-forward look on the top unit.

Two, he wanted the Knights to play a much faster, more direct approach than what he’s seen in limited time.

The first period didn’t reflect that. The Knights went down 1-0 off a 2-on-1 goal from Canucks winger Evander Kane.

“We looked nervous in the first period,” Tortorella said. “We were slow. I thought we made too many D-to-D plays in the first period, looking for a partner, playing sideways.

That’s when Tortorella swapped wingers for centers Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner. He thought the Knights looked stale and tentative offensively.

The lines progressed, and the Knights eventually got to that direct game with three goals in the second — two by defensemen Rasmus Andersson and Shea Theodore, and the third set up by Brayden McNabb for Reilly Smith’s one-timer.

The Knights outshot the Canucks 15-10 in the middle frame, including 14-6 at 5-on-5. They doubled Vancouver in shot attempts (67-33) and had a 30-12 edge in the second period.

“The second period was night and day,” Tortorella said.

More of that

The second period is what Tortorella wants to establish as the constant. Part of that contrast is the team loosening up and a reminder to play hockey.

“I just want them to relax,” he said. “I want them to realize they’re just in a hockey game and allow themselves to play. And I thought the second period, especially, they did. The bench was more alive. Probably helped us score a goal.”

There’s reason to be optimistic that this can continue. It helps that five of the Knights’ seven opponents are outside of the playoff picture.

But Monday was also a reminder that it was the Canucks, who have gone such bizarre lengths to have the fewest points in the league this season. The Knights will play them again on April 7.

If Tortorella wants to instill anything in this short window of regular season games, it’s this fast-paced mentality.

“It’s a really simple part of our game,” Theodore said. “I think playing fast can really elevate our scoring chances. We’re not in our d-zone a lot. I thought it really paid off.”

Tortorella still has some kinks to iron out — like calling the next line correctly after the power play, or not having the right people to go.

The first step in the eight-step process at least resulted in a win. The Knights will take them as they come right now, as will Tortorella.

“We’ll pick away at it, but I am not going to overthink this,” Tortorella said. “I am not going to overload them and paralyze them. We’ve got some quality people here. I want to come in here and try to help.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.