John Tortorella's Vegas Golden Knights secured a first-round victory in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, defeating the Utah Mammoth 5-1 and advancing to the second round.
Key points
John Tortorella is the coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights won their first-round series in six games.
They defeated the Utah Mammoth 5-1 in the final game.
Tortorella has a notable coaching history in the NHL.
He previously won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Mentioned in this story
John Tortorella
Vegas Golden KnightsUtah MammothTampa Bay LightningCalgary Flames
Ex-Rangers coach continues āfunā Vegas run with first-round win
Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Under former New York Rangers coach John Tortorella, the Vegas Golden Knights advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, clinching their opening-round series in six games with a 5-1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Friday night.
Vegasā playoff journey is still young, but it already ranks among the most notable of Tortorellaās 24-year NHL coaching career.
That is no small claim. Tortorella hoisted the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, when they outlasted the Calgary Flames in a seven-game Final, and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Stanley Cup Playoff history 14 years later.
In 2019, Tortorellaās Columbus Blue Jackets snuck into the postseason with 98 points (47-31-4), the fewest of any team in the Eastern Conference. Their reward? A first-round matchup with a Lightning team that won the Presidentsā Trophy with 128 points and tied the NHL single-season record with 62 wins (62-16-4).
Columbus became the first NHL team to sweep a Presidentsā Trophy winner in the first round, aided by future Blueshirts forward Artemi Panarin, who finished with five points (two goals, three assists) in the four games, capping the sweep with an empty-net goal in the series clincher.
Q&A
How did the Vegas Golden Knights perform in the first round of the playoffs?
The Vegas Golden Knights won their first-round series against the Utah Mammoth, clinching it in six games with a 5-1 victory.
What is John Tortorella's coaching history in the NHL?
John Tortorella has a 24-year NHL coaching career, including winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.
What notable achievements does John Tortorella have in his coaching career?
Tortorella is known for winning the Stanley Cup and for orchestrating one of the greatest upsets in Stanley Cup Playoff history.
Who did the Vegas Golden Knights defeat to advance in the playoffs?
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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The Golden Knightsā series win against the Mammoth wonāt go down as a historic upset, but itās a still a remarkable notch in Tortorellaās coaching ledger.
The 67-year-old entered 2025-26 without an NHL job after being dismissed as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in March 2025. It remained that way for most of the season, though Tortorella helped Team USA win gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics in February as an assistant on Mike Sullivanās staff.
āThe thing I love about it is just the desire to win,ā Tortorella said postgame after the series-clinching win. āItās very well pronounced throughout the League how Vegas goes about it. They want to win. Itās fun to be around. Iām very fortunate to get the opportunity.ā
Getting out of the first round is an accomplishment in itself, given the circumstances, and the Golden Knights can add to the spectacular tale as they look to return to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2023, when they went on to win it all.
Tortorella will square off with another Rangers legend ā one he coached in New York for 49 games between the regular season and playoffs ā as the Golden Knights meet Chris Kreider and the Anaheim Ducks in the second round.
Former Rangers forward integral in Golden Knightsā first-round win
NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Utah Mammoth at Vegas Golden Knights
Howden scored in each of the final three games of the Golden Knightsā opening-round series. Vegas won all three to erase a 2-1 deficit.
A first-round pick (No. 27 overall) by the Lightning in 2016, Howden joined the Blueshirts as part of the return for captain Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller in a blockbuster 2018 trade. He spent three seasons in New York, putting up 49 points (16 goals, 33 assists) in 178 games before the Rangers traded him to Vegas on July 17. 2021.
Heās enjoyed better days with the Golden Knights, helping Vegas lift the Cup for the first time in 2023 and posting career highs with 23 goals and 40 points in 2024-25. Howden, usually a bottom-six forward, was integral in the series win over Utah and centered for Mitch Marner and Mark Stone on Vegasā second line in Game 6.
Marner helped set up Howdenās game-winning goal in Game 5, chipping the puck to the right circle where his linemate scooped it up and picked the corner for a shorthanded goal at 5:28 of the second overtime for a 5-4 win. That connection struck again in Game 6, as Howden opened the scoring at 15:02 of the first period, finishing the rebound of a Marner shot that missed wide and caromed off the boards.
Howden is one goal shy of tying his playoff career-best. He scored five goals in 22 games in 2023, including a pair in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
