It may not have been the plan all along, but the Golden Knights were built for this.
Throughout this 82 game season, we put ourselves in some pretty pretty tough spots that we were able to dig ourselves out of. It’s not ideal to get down three-nothing early on, but we’ve been through that this year, and I think we could really rely on the games where we were able to come back and then the games that we let just completely go. -Mark Stone
Only one team in the NHL trailed for more time this season than the Vegas Golden Knights. In other words, only Vegas and Vanvoucer, have had as much experience trying to recover games from a losing position.
Time and time again this year the Golden Knights fell behind then got to work and began the climb back to even or better. 21 times in the regular season the Golden Knights came back to win a game they trailed. There were more than 10 others in which they fought back to send the game to OT but fell in the extra session. They allowed the first goal of the game 48 times and trailed entering the 2nd period on 36 separate occasions.
For us it’s kind of been that way all season. We’ve been down a lot, and we never quit. We’ve come back so many times. After the 1st, even being down three nothing, we knew we could do it because we’re a veteran team and we have great players. -Tomas Hertl
The Colorado Avalanche had won 54 consecutive games in which they held a multi-goal lead. They had not lost a single game in regulation when they held a lead after the first 20 minutes (30-0-4). And, the Golden Knights were 0-19 when trailing by three at any point in a playoff game.
But for this team, none of it mattered.
This is a game where we showed some balls. -John Tortorella
For most teams, falling behind is unsustainable. For most teams, overcoming 54, 34, and 19 game streaks is impossible. For most teams, being the outlier is unlikely.
Not for this team.
Not in this moment.
They always say, practice makes perfect, and right now, the Golden Knights are perfect.
FG
So Bruce Cassidy deserves credit for last night’s victory!
Mister Greg
That’s why he’s cashing $90,000 paychecks every week.
Pete Turner
Not just Bruce. I believe the core team including Tomas Hertl who was there in May 2019 when Vegas was up against SJ 3-1 in the series and in a Game 6 elimination after leading SJS by 3-0 in the 3rd, Cody Eakin headbutted Pavelski and got a 5 minute game misconduct. In that 5 minutes, we went from 3-0 to 3-4 including one scored by Hertl and losing that game in OT. SJS then proceeded to knock us out of the playoffs in Game 7. My point is that don’t celebrate just yet. It ain’t over until Bettman gets booed off the ice.
Vic
Ah…the good old “Not A Major” when Hertl’s goal last night made me almost forget about that disaster of a call and outcome.
Peter Turner
Here’s a more entertaining and emotionally charged rewrite that keeps your passion intact while sharpening the delivery and flow:
—
Last night wasn’t just a win — it was a statement. And what people keep missing is *why* VGK won: discipline. Pure discipline.
After that cheap shot on Koley right after he buried his goal, nobody would’ve blamed him for snapping back. Most players would’ve. Instead? He kept his cool, skated straight to his teammates, and celebrated like a pro. That kind of restraint says more about a player than any highlight reel ever could.
Bruce may be a defensive mastermind, but Torts unlocked something completely different in this team. He gave them freedom. Freedom to attack north-south, trust their instincts, and let their skill and creativity take over. Suddenly VGK doesn’t look like a team playing not to lose — they look like a team daring opponents to keep up.
And then there’s the culture. The leadership. Or honestly… the lack of a single “main character.” VGK doesn’t have one superstar barking orders from the bench or demanding the spotlight. Everybody is accountable. Everybody bleeds for each other.
They didn’t claw back into that game for the front office. They didn’t do it for headlines. They did it for the guy beside them on the ice.
They fought for Carter after hanging him out to dry in that brutal three-goal hole early on. They fought for Nabber, who suffered basically the same injury McKinnon did but handled it with ten times less theatrics. They fought for Eichel after he took a puck to the face and shrugged it off like it was just another Tuesday.
That’s what makes this team dangerous.
People love to talk about leadership like it’s screaming at teammates after mistakes or pounding your stick on the bench. It’s not. Real leadership isn’t puck-hogging and finger-pointing when things go wrong. It isn’t acting like royalty because your paycheck has extra zeroes.
Real leadership lives in the little moments. The sacrifice. The accountability. The calm under pressure. The willingness to suffer for the guy next to you.
That’s the stuff that builds champions.
Not once.
Again and again.
And if destiny really is writing the story of VGK’s 2026 season… then I’ve got to admit, it’s becoming one hell of a read.
Larry
Extremely well-written prose, enjoyed reading it and hope it may happen again.
TS
Loved it, Peter!! Makes me so proud of our Knights!!
Peter Turner
Thanks guys. I really do appreciate the feedback. I also love the little things our guys do on the ice like huddle together before every face off. No other team does that as often as our guys and it shows us:
1. The importance of clear communication
2. How loud the fans are in T-Mobile
3. Teamwork
We all love this team to death. Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. VGK has already exceeded our expectations this season. Unfortunately in the media, they are crucifying Carter Hart. Most of it obviously driven by fans of other teams envious of our success. Instead of talking hockey, they keep bringing up the court case and slandering our goalie and the VGK organization. This is despicable behavior and troubling to see how hockey fans have weaponized social media to attack a player who has done nothing other than be a solid goal tender for the knights. It makes me even sadder that no one from the NHL or anyone else in the hockey upper echelons have made any attempts to shut this type of attacks down.
I guess it’s up to us to fight back all these negativity with some positivity. Please re-post/re-tweet/re-insta the following video of Carter Hart stopping by the Junior VGK locker to with the kids good luck before their championship game.
https://x.com/TheTylerKasch/status/2059127326554927143
Go Knights Go!
Robert St. Louis
Agree 100%. However, this VGK is definitely more seasoned than the one that lost to the Sharks. We shall see, one game at a time.
Vic
Falling behind and fighting to come back is living dangerously, but so far so good until it isn’t. Peaking in April, May and June helps. Team playing like they have a plan and sticking to it all over the ice.
Peter Turner
Vic, you’re absolutely right. If I had to choose between a team loaded with elite talent and #1 overall picks (cough Edmonton) or a squad of castoffs, rejects, and “misfits” who refuse to quit and are mentally and physically tougher than nails, I’ll take the latter every single time. Maybe it’s the years of watching Bill Murray in Stripes, but something in me will always believe in the underdogs.
The NHL regular season is about flash — raw skill, speed, highlight reels, and offensive fireworks. But the playoffs? That’s a different sport entirely. The postseason is about resilience. It’s about making adjustments, grinding through pain, sacrificing your body, and finding ways to win when nothing comes easy. During the regular season, players perform for the fans and the organization. In the playoffs, they play for each other. For brothers in the locker room. For family. For legacy. Like the coach says, it takes “balls”. It takes Hart, too.
Will we win tonight? Who knows.
I’m not superstitious, but I believe in hockey gods and puck luck. One strange bounce can change everything. Officiating can tilt a game too, though hopefully the stripes keep it fair and balanced.
But champions are forged through adversity. VGK doesn’t need to be the flashiest team to become heroes. They just need to lean on their experience, roll all four lines, stay disciplined, and draw strength from the brotherhood on the ice.
And honestly? I believe they will.
Three years ago, on a Tuesday night, I watched this team dismantle a highly skilled, hard-hitting Florida squad 9–3. Somewhere during that run, it felt like they unlocked the secret to winning — and they’ve kept it hidden away for moments exactly like this.
Just like three years ago, nobody picked us. The analysts doubted us. The bookmakers counted us out. Even now, the puck line favors the other side. They’re in our building, trying to take what we have.
It’s painful to be them right now. Painful to be their fans.
But this isn’t personal.
We just have to take care of business, send them off to enjoy their summer, and move on to the next challenge.
Will we see our old friend Will Carrier again? Will our prodigal son Nick Suzuki finally return home to the franchise that drafted him 13th overall in 2017? Could we eventually witness a reunion between Torts and Martin St. Louis — master versus student, coach versus former star player?
This could become one of the great hockey stories.
And I hope it ends the same way it did three effing years ago.
Go Knights Go!
Larry
I for one am actually amazed where VGK is at, where they might be going, and where they may potentially end up.
Needless to say there were many more questions than there were answers all season, and in the first 2 rounds as well, they were hardly a juggernaut against the Mammoth and Ducks, though their play obviously improved as the series unfolded.
Besides Hart playing better and better by not letting in soft goals from the blue line, having Karlsson healthy and back in the lineup was a huge factor once he was up to game speed, and now with Hertl awakened from his long slumber the team is looking dangerous and deep, and my confidence level is growing each game.
Pistol Pete
Thanks for the excellent reads Peter Turner. You make many good points. Inspires me to email KM suggesting that the key is to perpetuate the culture the team appears to have created. They have overall had quite a bit of success with that over their history but now with Torts it looks better than ever. He goes over the tapes of the games with them so there is a technical aspect to his approach but you are correct he gives them the freedom to play their game above all else with the caveats of be aggressive and get the puck up the ice. If he gets extended which looks like he will at thus point it will be interesting to see how he does with the rookies coming up from Henderson. He’ll still have mostly low maintenance veterans though. Things are looking good.
KnightWatch
Per Tortorella no lineup changes for tonight
KnightWatch
MacKinnon and Nichushkin aren’t on the ice for the optional morning skate
Change in goal to Blackwood