Golden Knights build on late-season success under coach John Tortorella in playoffs

SALT LAKE CITY — John Tortorella and the Vegas Golden Knights are off to the second round of the NHL playoffs after pushing aside the pesky Utah Mammoth. Vegas ground out three straight victories to finish off the Mammoth, winning 5-1 on Friday night in Game 6 after consecutive overtime wins. Vegas overcame third-period deficits in its first three victories. After Tortorella took over as coach from the fired Bruce Cassidy, the Golden Knights closed the regular season 7-0-1. They went from a team struggling to stay in the playoff picture to winning a division title for the fifth time in nine seasons. Depth, confidence and experience helped Vegas make winning plays to close out tight games as the series progressed. Mitch Marner and fellow forward Brett Howden specifically answered the bell with big plays. Howden had four goals in the series, and Marner had two goals and five assists. “When you roll four lines, it doesn’t matter too much about where the faceoff is,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. “You can just kind of put whoever out on the ice. But it’s always a new team every year. You always find out who you are in the first