Flyers Coach John Tortorella Leaves Fans And Reporters Speechless With His Post-game Actions
John Tortorella wasn't in a talkative mood following his Flyers loss to the Hurricanes, and spoke a measly eight words when questioned by reporters.
Head coach John Tortorella spoke in a relatively brief post-game press conference after the Philadelphia Flyers' 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, using only eight words. In this interview, Tortorella, who typically gives angry and frequently lengthy answers, opted for a more straightforward approach. When asked to explain the loss, he said, "No," then "Yep," without going into any detail. His answers were brief, and it was clear that he was frustrated by everything, particularly the Flyers' late-game collapse that saw them give up two goals in the last minute.
With just nine points, the Flyers and Tortorella are still in the cellar of the Metropolitan Division after suffering their second straight defeat. The Flyers have not won any of their last eight games that have been started by anybody other than Samuel Ersson, and their recent defeats have been exacerbated by goalie issues. After missing time due to a lower-body ailment, Ersson is almost ready to return and might help reinforce the defensive end when he does.
The actual match was quite dramatic. Before the Hurricanes scored three consecutive goals to take a 3-1 lead, Travis Konecny gave the Flyers the lead on the powerplay in the first period. Morgan Frost tied the score early in the third and Owen Tippett closed the gap as the Flyers rallied, but Carolina quickly recovered. Although Konecny scored his second goal of the evening to tie the score at 4-4, Philadelphia was doomed after two Hurricane goals in the last minute.
Only two late goals, one from Seth Jarvis and one from Martin Necas, were able to turn the tide for Carolina. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov made just 12 saves throughout the game, while Hurricanes players Brent Burns and Necas each got two points. With four points, Flyers player Konecny led the squad in scoring, and teammates Tippett and Sean Couturier had outstanding performances. The Hurricanes' late push was too strong for the Flyers to withstand despite these performances.
The Flyers will try to turn around their recent performance when they play their adversary, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on Thursday. This team will probably go into their next game with some newfound energy and resolve now that Ersson is back in goal and Tortorella is visibly unhappy.
