SALT LAKE CITY — John Tortorella was already in the coach’s room celebrating, thinking the Vegas Golden Knights pulled it off.
His players were in the far corner celebrating. The goal light went off. Surely that was the end.
Then came the lengthy two-plus-minute review that prompted his assistant coaches to have him get back to the bench.
“That was a little weird for me,” Tortorella said.
It’s unclear if he saved his energy for a proper celebration minutes later when the Knights actually scored the winning goal to secure the 5-4 victory over the Utah Mammoth in Game 4 of their first-round series.
SHEA THEODORE WINS IT IN @ENERGIZER OVERTIME AND TIES THE SERIES! ⚔️ #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/6vBHT58cxy
— NHL (@NHL) April 28, 2026
Ebbs and flows
Monday night was quite the roller coaster — starting with the Knights playing their best 25-minute stretch of the series to take a 3-0 lead early in the second period.
It was everything the Knights hoped for. They preached the last two days that if they continued the gameplan from Game 3, the tide would turn their way.
Utah put that theory to work with four unanswered goals. The Knights were 14 minutes away from what would have gone down as the most unsettling loss this core had ever experienced.
Clayton Keller with Utah’s FOURTH straight unanswered goal and they have the lead 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ldip3kkhZ8
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 28, 2026
Fourteen minutes from staring a 3-1 deficit in the face heading back to T-Mobile Arena for Game 5.
“I think even in the second, giving up a couple, we had a lead going into the third and we were still feeling good about our game,” overtime hero Shea Theodore said. “It was good we never stopped.”
Brett Howden was also one of those heroes, scoring his second goal of the game with 9:35 left to extend the lifeline into sudden death.
“I think they had a push,” Howden said. “They were putting a lot to the net.”
BRETT HOWDEN WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE TIP TO TIE THE GAME 🔥
📺: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/MHdmUpAClZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 28, 2026
BRETT HOWDEN WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE TIP TO TIE THE GAME 🔥
📺: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/MHdmUpAClZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 28, 2026
Barely hanging on
You can’t accurately describe what it’s like seeing a fanbase be given false hope.
Knowing that Pavel Dorofeyev’s potential game-winning goal went in, the Knights celebrated in the far corner. The fans start to file out.
The replay shows on the jumbotron and fans start to clamor for a review.
The officials take more than two minutes to ensure that the play was offside.
Fans erupt when replay shows Jack Eichel across the blue line before the puck does, giving Utah that glimmer of hope.
“I was right on the blue line, actually, when I went by and it looked a little bit scary, but also looked good at the same time,” winger Cole Smith said. “I was kind of trying to see if it had conclusive evidence or not.”
Foot on the gas
The message was simple when Tortorella returned to the bench. Much like it was since losing 4-2 on Friday. Keep doing more of the same.
The Knights’ forecheck wore down the Mammoth. Utah’s speed was ineffective. The chances they got in the extra frame were far and few between.
All the Mammoth had to do was get it to intermission. Catch a breather, get a second gear and have another go.
Instead, Eichel redeemed himself — not only by driving to the net for a dangerous chance, but gathering the puck with chaos looming around him.
His pass through a sea of legs found Theodore in the slot. Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka’s desperate, stick-less dive couldn’t stop the Knights from scoring the goal that counted this time.
“I think especially close to the end of the first overtime, you don’t want to go to a second,” Theodore said. “It’s just a good feeling. It sucks having that one called back, but we kept our foot on the gas.”
Four games in, and this series is an exact carbon copy of last year’s six-game thriller against the Minnesota Wild.
Games 1 and 2 were split. Utah, like Minnesota, dominated Game 3.
Game 4 goes to overtime, and the Knights get the bounce to go their way.
Game 5 went to overtime, too, last year. As if this series needed any more theater. Wednesday is sure to provide.
“I’m happy for the guys,” Tortorella said. “They’ve put in the work. I thought they prepared well. We even it up and we keep on going.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
