John Tortorella has been here before. In 2019, his Columbus Blue Jackets swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that had posted 128 points in the regular season. Now, as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, he faces a similar scenario: a 3-0 series lead over the Colorado Avalanche, the Presidents’ Trophy winners with 121 points.

Tortorella is the first coach to lead a best-of-seven series 3-0 against the No. 1 seed multiple times. Game 4 of the Western Conference Final is Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

“It’s tough for me to answer that question because I haven’t been around,” Tortorella said when asked about similarities between the two sweeps. “I’ve been here such a short time with the team. What it speaks to, it’s the playoffs, right?”

The Avalanche have been outplayed in all three games, unable to replicate the dominance that defined their regular season. Colorado coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the difficulty of the task. “I think with the hill to climb, it’s definitely a tough one, right? It just doesn’t happen very often, and we’re certainly understanding of that,” Bednar said. “I think it boils down to not letting the disappointment overcome you.”

Vegas, meanwhile, has bought into Tortorella’s message of focusing on the present. “We’re not trying to look at this any differently,” forward Brett Howden said. “We’re trying not to approach this game any differently. Just stay with the same mindset.”

Defenseman Shea Theodore emphasized the need for a strong start. “The fourth win is always the hardest to get (in a series). Whether it’s the first round, second round or conference final. We’re going to expect their best. It’s win or go home for them, so we have to match that intensity from the start.”

Tortorella, who took over with eight games left in the regular season, has instilled a simple approach: prepare for the next game, trust the players, and execute. It has worked beyond expectations.