To say the season can’t end soon enough for the Flyers players would be the understatement of the year.
From all appearances, it looks like the same could be said for head coach John Tortorella.
After losing to the sadsack Blackhawks in Chicago on Sunday, the Flyers displayed equal ineptitude in a 7-2 bombing on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
The Flyers went 0-4-1 on their road trip and are now 0-5-1 in their last six.
In post-game interviews, Tortorella blamed himself for not having his team better prepared for the final two games of the road trip.
“It’s my job to prepare this team in this type of situation,” Tortorella said. “Haven’t done a good enough job the last couple games.
“When you’re in this type of situation, losing all the time, nothing at the end of the tunnel for us, there’s going to be some frustration. This falls on me. I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season right now. But I have to do a better job. So this falls on me, getting this team to play the proper way until we get to the end.”
John Tavares and William Nylander led the Maple Leaf attack each with a pair of goals and a pair of assists.
Adding to the annoyance factor, ex-Flyer Anthony Stolarz picked up the win in goal for the Leafs.
Flyers netminder Samuel Ersson didn’t get much support from his defense as he failed to get his 20th win of the season.
Captain Sean Couturier tried to give reasons for why the Flyers gave up 14 goals in two games but didn’t sound too convincing.
“It’s ugly right now,” he said. “We’re not capitalizing when we have chances to be in the game or take the lead. The other way, we’re letting (in) a lot of goals. We’re making it hard on ourselves.
“But no one really feels sorry for us. It’s on us to dig deeper, put on our working boots and come back next game.”
Only three or four players really played well. Some were not good at all, including Jamie Drysdale, who was a minus-4, and Egor Zamula who was a minus-3.
The Flyers did play some good hockey for the first three games of the road trip, including a gritty 3-2 overtime loss in Dallas on Saturday. But then things fell apart.
Frustrating?
“I think so, a couple good efforts last week against some good teams,” said Couturier, mindful of a gritty 2-0 loss at Tampa. “Didn’t get the results we wanted. Then it just seems like you’re forcing things. Getting away from playing the right way. It’s not a matter of effort, really, it’s a matter of being sharper.”
Down 2-1 after one period, the Flyers just kept digging themselves a deeper hole in the second and were down 6-2 after 40 minutes.
Tavares and Nylander each picked up their second goals of the game in the middle period.
Bobby McMann started the parade with a goal at 1:45, Nylander providing the assist.
Tavares made it 4-1 at 7:49, then Nylander converted a Tavares pass for the four-goal edge. Finally David Kampf scored on a break-in at 15:08.
The only bright spot for the Flyers was a goal by Sean Couturier with 1:43 left in the frame.
The Flyers got off to a good start but misplays, common of late, led to a Toronto comeback and an eventual lead after one period.
Ryan Poehling’s fourth goal in the last seven games put Philadelphia on top. A sharp forecheck play by Rodrigo Abols on Tavares sent the puck to Jakob Pelletier, who in turn passed to Poehling for a one-timer past Stolarz at 7:59.
It was Poehling’s eighth goal of the season but fourth in his last seven games.
After the 7-4 debacle at Chicago, the Flyers at least came out with a little more life in their legs.
“I thought we played a lot harder, a great start,” Poehling said. “They got a couple lucky bounces that were off skates and in. But the compete was there. That’s what we needed to do.”
Tavares made up for that gaffe at 10:37. He banked a shot off Cam York’s leg through Ersson.
York was benched after that play and did not see action the rest of the game. Tortorella refused to comment on the decision after the game.
Then the Flyers took a bad too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty and paid for it. Nylander tried to pass across the lower slot to teammate Matt Knies. The puck hit Nick Seeler’s skate and skidded into the net at 15:11.
In the third, Max Domi stripped defenseman Emil Andrae to create a five-goal lead for the Leafs.
>Laughton sees familiar faces
Scott Laughton, traded from Philadelphia to Toronto at the NHL deadline, faced his old team for the first time. He played left wing on a third line with Domi at center.
Poehling said he and his teammates have the utmost respect for Laughton.
“Scotty’s the best,” Poehling remarked. “He’s the definition of a Philadelphia Flyer. I have all the love and respect for him. He taught me a lot when he was here. I wish him nothing but the best.”
>Short shots
The Flyers head home to play the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. . .Garnet Hathaway and Rasmus Ristolainen remain sidelined by injuries. . .Matvei Michkov hit the 50-point mark at Chicago on Sunday. The only other Flyer players younger than the 20-year-old Michkov to hit the 50 mark were Eric Lindros and the late Peter Zezel. Michkov picked up an assist on Sunday for his 51st point of the season.
