Golden Knights record since hiring John Tortorella: How new Vegas coach has turned team around to set up playoffs run

The Vegas Golden Knights are one of the hottest teams in the NHL, in large part thanks to new head coach John Tortorella.

Vegas fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with Tortorella near the end of the regular season, as the team was headed in the wrong direction. The 67-year-old Tortorella proved Vegas with a wealth of experience, as he coached five other teams in his coaching career and led the Tampa Bay Lighting to a Stanley Cup title in 2004.

This is not the first time that Tortorella took over a team midseason, as he's done so three other times, giving him a unique form of experience in this area. Here's how Tortorella has been able to spark the Golden Knights to close the season.

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John Tortorella record with Golden Knights

Since John Tortorella took over as the Golden Knights head coach on March 29, Vegas went 7-0-1 in eight games to close out the regular season. The Golden Knights had four home games and four road games, and their only loss in that span was a shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken on the road.

By winning seven of their final eight games, collecting 15 points in that span, the Golden Knights clinched the Pacific Division by two points over the Edmonton Oilers. Therefore, Vegas will play the Utah Mammoth in the first round of the playoffs, as the Oilers and Anaheim Ducks will play in the other Pacific division matchup.

Golden Knights record before John Tortorella

When the Golden Knights fired Cassidy, Vegas was 32-26-16 and in third place in the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights were also six points behind the Ducks for first in the division and four points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, who were the first team out of the playoffs at the time.

MORE: John Tortorella's coaching timeline

Why did Golden Knights fire Bruce Cassidy?

Vegas was struggling at the end of March, having lost seven of its last eight games, nine of its last 11 games, and 12 of its last 14 games.  Therefore, the Golden Knights decided a coaching change was needed to provide a spark ahead of the playoffs.

"With the stretch run of the 2025-26 regular season upon us, we believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club," Vegas GM Kelly Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement. "With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup Champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL. His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face. We look forward to welcoming John to Vegas."

While Cassidy led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023, and made the playoffs with Vegas in each of the last three seasons, this season was on pace to be Cassidy's worst with the team.

From 2022 to 2025, the Golden Knights earned 319 points in three seasons, averaging over 106 points each year. However, when the Golden Knights fired Cassidy in at the end of March, the Golden Knights had 80 points and were barely hanging on to a playoff spot.