The Golden Knights are 1-2-2 in their past five games and 4-10-2 since the NHL returned from the 2026 Winter Olympics. Starts have been an issue, with Vegas allowing the first goal in 43 of its 74 games this season. They play their first game under Tortorella at home against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SNP).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone<\/a> said the team lacked emotion in the early part of games and that the message from Cassidy and the room had gone \u201ca little stale.\u201d He anticipates that Tortorella can ignite the team enough to go on a run.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t playing with that same emotion that we normally do,\u201d Stone said. \u201cEarly on, we\u2019re not starting with that emotion. That\u2019s probably the mindset going forward is to start the game cleanly with that kind of emotion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not to say the decision didn\u2019t catch him or the team off guard.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s different. I\u2019ve never been through this time of the year, but it\u2019s a new energy,\u201d Stone said. \u201cIt\u2019s a new voice. … We have a good team. We have good players. So I think he\u2019s excited to see what he can do with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Tortorella is with his sixth team in his 25-year career, which included leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004. He last coached with the Philadelphia Flyers, where his stint ended with nine games left last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tortorella has prior experiences with a few members of the Golden Knights. He coached goalie Carter Hart<\/a> with the Flyers, who remains out recovering from a lower-body injury, as well as William Karlsson<\/a> and Brandon Saad<\/a>\u00a0with the Columbus Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n