The Golden Knights need to start looking for some answers after splitting at home in two underwhelming performances to start their second-round series against the Ducks.
Coach John Tortorella hasn’t been around the team long, but he should know where to find them ahead of Friday night’s Game 3 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
This isn’t a unique situation for this franchise. While he was brought in late in the season to try to bring a fresh voice to a team on a late slide, the players in that locker room have experienced more than enough postseason hockey to understand for themselves the circumstances and how to best turn things around.
“We’re not down in the series right now, but we’ve got to find our game and we have not done that,” Tortorella said. “That’s incumbent on us as a coaching staff to try and give them the right information and as a group, to try to find it.”
The last part is key.
That room is filled with accolades, honors, gold medalists, Stanley Cup winners and some of the biggest stars in the sport.
They know what needs to be done without anyone telling them, so the job of a coach with this type of roster is often to simply find ways to remind them.
“I respect this group,” Tortorella said during Thursday’s off day before boarding the flight to Orange County. “How I coach this group is totally different from how I would coach a younger team that’s just starting to go through it, so I need to show them that respect.
“But points will be made.”
Perhaps getting stronger on the puck in the offensive zone to establish more possession time there. Or not letting opponents hang out in front of the net unchecked. Or staying out of the box and not putting so much stress on the penalty-killing units.
Really, all of the above.
“I’m not going to talk about specifics,” he said. “There’s one in my head, yes. But I’m not going to put it in yours.”
Tortorella will save those details for the players, though they probably already know.
He may also tweak the lines a bit, something he declined to commit to on Thursday. Maybe there will even be a lineup change or two.
But in the end, the Knights are just going to have to play better. They are certainly capable of it, particularly just two games removed from a masterful Game 6 performance to clinch the first-round series over Utah.
Tortorella has seen the Knights’ game when they are going good a few times since taking over for fired Bruce Cassidy just 16 games ago and he knows how they are capable of playing.
He’s also seen how they can positively respond to adversity.
Last series was not only tied 1-1, but the Knights fell behind 2-1 before winning three straight to advance.
“We went through it in the first round,” he said. “We went through it during the regular season a little bit in some games. I have the utmost trust, but it’s my job to coach the team and how we’re playing. I have a number of things in my head that need to be brought to attention here really quickly before we do put ourselves in a really bad spot.”
One thing Tortorella doesn’t have with most of these players is personal experience to draw from. While he’s been coaching more than a quarter century and has a Stanley Cup and two coach of the year awards on an expansive resume, he hasn’t necessarily been with this particular group long enough to necessarily have a previous experience in pushing certain buttons for a specific player, line or defensive pairing.
That’s not something he’s concerned about.
“I understand the players, and I think the players understand me better,” he said. “I’ve had a great support staff with the coaches, and (executives Kelly McCrimmon and George McPhee). I have a pretty good idea about the makeup of the players, where I can put them. That isn’t a detriment at all.”
Tortorella spent much of the off day watching film after not sleeping a whole lot after the Game 2 loss. He will undoubtedly have a message and some thoughts for them on how to approach Game 5.
But once the puck drops, only the players can find the answers they are seeking.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
