Tortorella has given Golden Knights 'swagger' en route to Stanley Cup Final

John Tortorella's influences are all over the Vegas Golden Knights even if the 67-year-old coach won't admit it or give himself much credit for it.

From the way they're defending and improving with each passing series, to the attitude they have and the belief they're playing with as they prepare for the Stanley Cup Final after sweeping the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final, Tortorella has made an impact since replacing Bruce Cassidy as coach March 29.

How he's done it and what he's done in particular are two of the many topics NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika discusses with co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke on a new episode of the "NHL @TheRink" podcast.

"You bring in 'Torts' and everyone thinks of Torts as this firebrand, which he is, but it wasn't to berate them, it was to give them swagger," Cotsonika said. "I remember (Vegas general manager) Kelly McCrimmon talking about it, they just lost their spirit, they were just sort of in a malaise, and he comes in and the biggest thing that he did, more than X's and O's, was reminding them of how good they are. Like, 'You guys are a good bleeping team,' and believe me 'Torts' has used the bleep.

"He just reminded the team as a whole and certain individuals how good they are, how good they can be. They got hot down the stretch, and then they fought their way through two tough early parts of series in the first two rounds and found their stride. You really saw it against Colorado."

There is talk about goalie Carter Hart's effectiveness, how defenseman Shea Theodore has benefitted from the coaching change and Mitch Marner being the new version of Jack Eichel as a player thriving in a new environment.

The conversation with Cotsonika also delves into the Carolina Hurricanes and what they've done to take a 3-1 lead on the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final entering Game 5 at Lenovo Center on Friday (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Cotsonika, who has been following the East Final on television after covering most of the West Final, said it looks like the Hurricanes have six or seven skaters on the ice at all times against the Canadiens. He talks about the Golden Knights' chances of success against that style of play if it is indeed Carolina that advances out of the East to face them in the Stanley Cup Final.

In addition, Rosen and Roarke discuss what happened to the Avalanche in the West Final and why Jared Bednar absolutely should remain as coach, why they should not overreact to the sweep and try to run it back with a similar team and coaching staff next year.

The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.