While has only been coaching the Vegas Golden Knights , they are his sixth different NHL team and he is coming up on his 22nd anniversary of hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Through all that, he still wonders something about playoff hockey.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure what鈥檚 better: experience or youth, when you have no clue what鈥檚 going on?鈥� Tortorella said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 understand the pressures of it because they don鈥檛 know. Or the experience.鈥�
Tortorella’s team showed the value of experience, taking a 3-2 series lead over the mostly new-to-this Anaheim Ducks by on Tuesday night. On the flip side, the less-seasoned in Montreal to even up their best-of-seven series at 2-2.
Next up are two more chances to test Tortorella’s question.
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT, TruTV)
Series: Tied 2-2
Just when it looked like the Sabres were in trouble, they scored the opening goal less than seven minutes into Game 4 and endured a back-and-forth night full of replay reviews and penalties. Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff wasn’t thrilled with some opposing players 鈥済oing down easy鈥� and wished for more embellishment calls, but he’s proud of how his young group handled it.
“We battled through all that,” Ruff said Wednesday. 鈥淲e got to make sure we鈥檙e in there but at the same time not taking anything stupid and putting our team at a disadvantage. It鈥檚 a fine line right now, but I think there鈥檚 a way to juggle around it.鈥�
The Canadiens got a taste of playoff hockey a year ago, in the first round. A few players are left (and Phillip Danault returned) from 2021, when they went on an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final before .
Captain Nick Suzuki, one of those players, chalked up the latest defeat to a bad bounce and already seems ready for Game 5.
鈥淲e knew we had to go to Buffalo anyway,鈥� Suzuki said. “We鈥檙e a good road team. We’ve shown that all year, so we’ve go do it again and bring it back home.鈥�
A few Sabres players have been in the NHL postseason, but the organization is here for the first time since 2011 after in league history. The newcomers have been some of Buffalo’s best players, and it seems like they are enjoying the ride.
鈥淎s a kid, this is what you dream of, playing playoff hockey,鈥� said Josh Doan, who leads the team in scoring this series with six points. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing you trade it in the world for, getting the opportunity to do this.鈥�
Vegas Golden Knights at Anaheim Ducks
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT, TruTV)
Series: Vegas leads 3-2
Tortorella would love for experience to win out because the Golden Knights are 鈥渇ull of it.鈥� And they know it.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a pretty comfortable group in there, and there鈥檚 a lot of players in there who鈥檝e been through it and had a lot of success and won,鈥� Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e an older team, and it鈥檚 that feeling that no moment is too big.鈥�
Anaheim has plenty of veteran guys to rely on, including Cup winners Alex Killorn and John Carlson and players like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba who have gone on deep runs. But the Ducks’ core is about youth, speed and not getting intimidated by the situation.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty excited to see what we all got,” 23-year-old center Mason McTavish said. 鈥滻t鈥檚 our first time with our backs against the wall. I鈥檓 excited for us to kind of show everybody what we got.”
Coach Joel Quenneville, who has three Cup rings from his time as head coach in Chicago, has been around long enough that Tuesday night reminded him of a similar Game 5 鈥� 11 years ago … at Anaheim. That was when he was with the Blackhawks, who erased exactly this deficit on the way to their third championship in six years.
鈥�(We have) a lot of younger guys that they鈥檝e been fine the whole playoffs and nothing seems to change their demeanor or their approach,鈥� Quenneville said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l come back home and focus on the next game and know we鈥檙e right in the thick of things.”
As for the notion that a young team needs to learn how to lose before it can win, Quenneville quipped, 鈥淚鈥檓 not ready for that.鈥�
___
AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow in Buffalo, New York, AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas and the Canadian Press contributed.
___
AP NHL: and
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
