Coach John Tortorella did not comment further on his six-figure fine from the NHL on Friday, referring to the statement the Vegas Golden Knights posted shortly after the sanctions were announced.
Tortorella was fined $100,000, and the Knights were docked a second-round pick in this year’s NHL draft, after Tortorella skipped on his media availability following the team’s 5-1 Game 6 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
The punishments were handed down “after previous warnings were issued to the Club regarding their compliance with the Media Regulations and other associated policies,” the league said in a statement.
The Knights said they were aware of the league’s ruling and would have no further comment.
They have been offered a chance to appeal the penalties. That meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman would take place next week.
“We put our statement out as an organization, so we’ll go by that,” Tortorella said. “We’ll have no more comment.”
After that, Tortorella looked ahead to the Western Conference final, which begins at 5 p.m. on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver.
The Knights, including the playoffs, are 15-4-1 since Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy on March 29.
Winger Mitch Marner, who leads the league in scoring with 18 points during the playoffs, said after Game 6 that Tortorella helped the Knights find their swagger again.
“I thought as we finished up the regular season having some success as we went on a little bit of a run there. That always helps,” Tortorella said. “You feel good about yourself and your confidence.
“I think the way we finished a couple of series here, I think we’ve gotten better as each series went on. I think we feel really good of ourselves.”
The Knights relied on their experience for the second straight series to advance to the conference final for the fifth time in their nine-year history.
Much like in the first round against Utah, it took an overtime win in Game 5 against the Ducks to take the series lead back on the road, followed by a dominant win in Game 6.
Marner led the way with a goal and an assist, and Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in a game the Knights never trailed in.
Now come the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche in what will be their hardest test of the postseason. It’s not a battle of youth and experience like the first two rounds were.
Tortorella said the reason why the Knights got better as each series went on is because they stayed “flatlined.”
“They don’t get too excited when things are going really well, and they certainly don’t lose themselves when they struggle,” he said. “Through both series, we’ve had some ups and downs. There’s been some peaks and valleys. I think that’s one of the biggest strengths of our team.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Golden Knights at Avalanche
What: Western Conference Final, Game 1
When: 5 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Ball Arena, Denver
TV: ESPN
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM
