97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Blue Jackets Perspective On John Tortorella
The NHL changes quickly. A Philadelphia Flyers team that seemed on the upward trend has suddenly lost three straight games with the historically difficult “Disney On Ice” holiday road trip looming.
The Columbus Blue Jackets travel to Philadelphia on Saturday to face their former head coach John Tortorella in the first of two remaining games before the NHL’s three-day Christmas break from Dec. 24-26.
- 12/14 at Xcel Energy Center: Minnesota Wild 4, Flyers 1
- 12/18 at Little Caesars Arena: Detroit Red Wings 6, Flyers 4
- 12/19 at the Wells Fargo Center: Los Angeles Kings 7, Flyers 3
John Tortorella Faces Blue Jackets
The Flyers convincingly defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 10, and their Metropolitan Division rival will visit the Wells Fargo Center for a rematch on Saturday, Dec. 21.
John Tortorella has downplayed the significance of facing his former team during his tenure in Philadelphia. The veteran head coach isn’t one to relish in trendy storylines, but he spent six seasons behind the bench in Columbus from 2015-2021.
Related Content: Does Aleksei Kolosov Deserve Backup Goalie Job With Flyers?
The most polarizing head coach in the NHL earned himself some admirers during his time at Nationwide Arena. The postgame spats and the old school style didn’t chase away the Columbus media. Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers spoke about Tortorella’s personality off the ice.
“He’s a completely different person off the ice and away from the camera than he is in front of the camera. It’s sometimes just night and day.” -Mark Scheig on First-Time Caller, Long-Time Expert
Tortorella’s Hockey & Hounds series also endeared him to parts of the fan base in Columbus. He’s continued the weekly show during his time with the Flyers. The weekly show incorporates his love for animals into a community initiative.
Don’t expect John Tortorella to stop pushing back against media questions or suddenly decide that sitting a player as a healthy scratch isn’t reasonable.
However, give his personality a chance beyond the jaw-dropping viral moments.
The former Stanley Cup winner inherited a Blue Jackets franchise with two playoff appearances and two single-game playoff game victories in 14 seasons of existence.
They reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs four times in his six seasons, and their statement sweep against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018-19 went down in the books as one of the biggest playoff upsets in NHL history.
Tortorella became the fifth coach in NHL history to win the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year with two different teams in 2017.
“The Blue Jackets had their best run in franchise history under his watch, and that was no accident.” -Mark Scheig
3-Game Losing Streak
The Flyers hung tough against a Minnesota Wild team towards the top of the Western Conference standings on Saturday. The game was closer than the 4-1 score indicated, but they allowed too many transition chances to fly the other way at goaltender Sam Ersson.
The loss against Detroit got worse. Turnovers, sloppy line changes, and blown coverages allowed the Red Wings to beat Ersson five times and add an empty-netter.
The defensive lapses pushed Tortorella to sit Cam York for the third period and scratch him against Los Angeles.
The Flyers continued the defensive lapses back in Philadelphia on Thursday. Defensemen Jamie Drysdale, Emil Andrae, and Egor Zamula struggled to stop the Kings from burying four unanswered goals in the third period on their way to a 7-3 win.
Veteran Anze Kopitar scored twice to sink the Flyers for a third straight loss. Opponents have outscored Philadelphia 17-8 over the last three games.
Noah Cates spoke after the loss to the Kings about “lackadaisical” plays that have cost his team.
“It’s kind of ending up in the back of our net right now for whatever reason, whether it’s off faceoffs or just bad line changes or whatever, so I think we’ve just got to tighten down.” -Noah Cates
Metropolitan Division, Playoff Bubble
The top three teams in the Metropolitan Division have separated themselves from the pack in recent weeks. The New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and Carolina Hurricanes all sit with point percentages easily north of .600 with middling teams trailing on the playoff bubble.
The Flyers lingered in the playoff mix until the 82nd game of the season in 2023-24. While a three-game losing streak has set them back, they look poised to repeat a similarly competitive second half against other bubble teams like the New York Islanders and Monday’s opponent the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The New York Rangers have become the talk of the NHL. Turmoil within the organization and an underwhelming start led to general manager Chris Drury to trade captain Jacob Trouba and former second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko.
The Flyers sit in a pack of flawed wild card contenders that don’t outclass a rebuilding team with talent deficiencies. Will they seize the opportunity they let slip away last season?
Upcoming Schedule
- Saturday 12/21 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Monday 12/23 @ Pittsburgh Penguins, 7pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Saturday 12/28 @ Anaheim Ducks, 4pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
