John Tortorella isn’t one to let players off easy, whether that be behind closed doors or in front of the media.
He’s not shy to name names or bench players when he feels they’re not contributing. For an example, look no further than last month, when he healthy scratched captain and former Selke Trophy winner Sean Couturier for two games.
So on Monday, after his Philadelphia Flyers squad dropped their game against the New York Islanders in overtime, the outspoken bench boss dished out some classic quotes — and put his team on blast. When asked about their effort, Tortorella was emphatic in his answer.
“Soft,” he said. “One guy played: the goalie.”
Ivan Fedotov, fresh from the KHL and coming out cold in the second period for his NHL debut after Samuel Ersson allowed two goals on six shots, made 16 of 17 stops in the middle frame, including turning aside a breakaway from Mathew Barzal.
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When all was said and done, the six-foot-seven goaltender made 19 of 21 saves during his time between the pipes. “Totally impressed,” Tortorella said of his performance, “I put him in one hell of a spot.”
However, it was clear that was the only bright spot the coach saw with his team on Monday evening.
“There are certain people that they don’t have a clue how to play, or just don’t have it in them to play in these type of situations,” he continued. “We have to figure things out as far as what we’re going to become as a team here. That was embarrassing in the second period for the Philadelphia Flyer uniform, the way we played. Embarrassing.”
Tortorella did give “some guys” credit, without naming names, for coming back to tie the game in the third, but that didn’t excuse the poor performance in the middle frame for the coach.
“(Fedotov) is the only (expletive) player that played the second period,” he said.
Despite the loss, the overtime point means the Flyers slide ahead of the idle Washington Capitals for third in the Metropolitan Division. If the playoffs were to begin today, the Flyers would be taking on the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1.
