John Tortorella’s eye-opening admission on Flyers playoff push after Canadiens rout

The Flyers have been through a lot this season. Philadelphia got off to an incredible start and shockingly held onto a playoff spot for most of the year. However, the losses have piled up. Since the NHL Trade Deadline, Philadelphia is 3-9-3. This includes the eight-game losing streak they are currently on.

For John Tortorella, though, he believes this is as bad as it’s been. “I’m frustrated for them because this is rock bottom. I hate to see us, at this time of year, playing this way after all the good minutes we’ve put in throughout the year,” the veteran bench boss said, via the Flyers social media team.

The Flyers allowed a first-period goal to Juraj Slafkovsky, but played a respectable opening frame, in Tortorella’s eyes. However, things quickly fell apart after that. Philadelphia allowed five goals in the second period and three more in the final frame. Slafkovsky completed a hat trick, as well, en route to an emphatic victory.

Effort not a problem

John Tortorella can point to many flaws with his team right now. That said, he is not calling his team’s effort level into question. He spoke highly of the Flyers roster despite the brutal loss on Tuesday night. And he believes there is no lack of effort in that locker room.

“I’m not questioning their effort. I just think we’ve lost ourselves in managing games. Some guys may feel it a bit because they want to try to get us out of this. But I don’t question the care and I don’t question the effort,” the Flyers bench boss said, via the Flyers social media team.

“It’s a good group of players,” he continued. “I’m frustrated for them that we’re kind of ending it this way. But we just have to lick our wounds. We have three more games and it’s incumbent upon all of us to do it the right way. Where that ends up, I don’t know. But I just want us to play the proper way.”

The Flyers now turn their attention to the New York Rangers on Thursday night. Whether John Tortorella can help his team salvage a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs remains to be seen. But they can at least gain a bit of momentum with a positive result against the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers.