Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella was adamant that he did not consider replacing goaltender Carter Hart in the third period of Game 5 Thursday night.
When asked if Tortorella had given any thought to turning to Adil Hill late in the 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Tortorella stood strong behind his starting goaltender.
“Oh, Christ, that could be the stupidest question I’ve heard,” he said.
Despite the reaction, Hart’s play so far in the Stanley Cup Final has been a far cry from the first three rounds. After posting a .922 save percentage in 16 games, Hart has allowed four goals in each of the five games against Carolina and has a save percentage of .856.
While Hill starred for Vegas during their Stanley Cup win in 2023 with a .932 save percentage, he has not played in more than two months, with his last bit of game action coming on April 9 against the Seattle Kraken.
Thursday’s loss put the Golden Knights into a 3-2 series hole where they’ll have to win at home in Game 6 Sunday night to force a decider back in Raleigh. Tortorella is willing to bet his wardrobe it’ll happen.
“We’ll be back here,” Tortorella said via NHL.com. “I’m going to leave my clothes here, that’s for sure. In the hotel,” he said.
The Golden Knights won Game 1 and took a 2-1 series lead after Game 3 on an overtime winner from Shea Theodore. But nine combined goals between Games 4 and 5 have the Hurricanes on top for the first time in the series and just one win away from winning their first Stanley Cup since 2006.
