The edges of the seats at T-Mobile Arena were polished smooth as fans leaned in to watch the Vegas Golden Knights shock the Western Conference by sweeping the Colorado Avalanche in a stunning turn of events. While Vegas celebrated its third trip to the Final in franchise history, the conversation around the Avalanche has moved toward uncertainty surrounding head coach Jared Bednar.
Colorado entered the playoffs as the Presidents’ Trophy winner and one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams, but their season was suddenly derailed due to injuries.
As blame fell on Jared Bednar, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella stepped in with a strong public defense of his longtime coaching peer.
John Tortorella Defends Jared Bednar After Golden Knights Sweep Avalanche
Tortorella did not spend much time celebrating his team’s Western Conference championship before making one thing crystal clear: he still believes Jared Bednar is among the NHL’s elite coaches.
Shortly after Vegas closed out Colorado with a 2-1 victory in Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night, Tortorella addressed the increasing pressure surrounding the Avalanche bench boss.
Bednar’s contract situation and Colorado’s abrupt postseason exit have fueled major speculation about his future despite the Avalanche finishing the regular season with 121 points. Tortorella pushed back against the criticism during his postgame media conference.
“I know people are crawling up Bedsy’s a*s about this that and the other, but he is one hell of a coach. He has a great staff there,” Tortorella said. “I was very nervous. We knew how we had to play because of how potent they are. Great org, great team.”
“Get off Bedsy’s ass!” – John Tortorella 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Bnw7gYsvdd
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) May 27, 2026
The comments carried extra weight considering they came immediately after Vegas completed a dominant sweep against the NHL’s top regular-season team.
Colorado entered the series with the league’s highest-scoring offense, but Vegas completely dismantled the Avalanche offense by limiting time and space through the neutral zone while controlling possession for long stretches.
Mark Stone opened the scoring in Game 4 with a breakaway goal early in the first period after handling a high flip pass through center ice. Cole Smith later added another key goal in the third period, while Carter Hart stopped 20 shots to help finish the sweep. Gabriel Landeskog scored late for Colorado, but Vegas shut the door once again.
Tortorella’s support for Bednar did not come out of nowhere. The two coaches have shared a long professional connection dating back nearly a decade to their time within the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. While Tortorella coached Columbus at the NHL level, Bednar built a championship-caliber reputation with the team’s AHL affiliate.
Vegas now enters the Stanley Cup Final riding a 6-game winning streak after eliminating Utah, Anaheim, and Colorado during an impressive postseason run. The Golden Knights will face either the Carolina Hurricanes or Montreal Canadiens after earning nearly a full week’s rest before the championship series begins.
