Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella is again facing criticism for his abrasive post-game comments after the team's recent 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders.
Speaking with Jay Onrait on an edition of "Harvey's Hot Takes", NHL analyst Bryan Hayes highlighted Tortorella's habit of faulting others, rather than taking ownership himself:
"It's never his issue, it's somebody else's," said Hayes.
"It was Sean Couturier, the Captain's fault at one point, it's been the goaltender's fault multiple times. It's the players' issues, it's the softness, it's the second period, it's the media. It's never his issue, it's somebody else's."
Tortorella has developed a pattern this season of calling out his players and avoiding self-reflection after losses.
John Tortorella's comments after 4-3 overtime loss to Islanders
After the Philadelphia Flyers' gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Monday night, head coach John Tortorella did not hold back in his assessment of the team's performance:
"Soft. One guy played: The goalie," Tortorella said bluntly at the post-game press conference.
He was referring to new goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who came on in relief of starter Sam Ersson and made 19 saves after giving up two goals.
Tortorella went on to question the mental fortitude of some of his players:
"Not the whole game and not the whole group. There are certain people who don’t have a clue how to play, or just don’t have it in them, to play in these situations," Tortorella said.
“That’s why I’m glad we’re playing in them, because we have to figure things out as far as what we’re going to become as a team," he added.
While Tortorella was pleased with the team's third-period comeback to force overtime after being down 3-1, he blasted the team's second-period performance as "embarrassing."
The head coach also refused to accept fatigue as an excuse at this critical juncture of the season:
"If you don’t have enough b***s to play in these types of games, rest doesn’t do us any good."
The loss kept the Flyers (36-29-11) in third place in the Metropolitan Division, but their playoff position is precarious as teams below them have games in hand.