In a bizarre sequence, the Philadelphia Flyers were called for not one but two separate penalties on the exact same play within a few moments of each other.
The Philadelphia Flyers have all but officially been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoffs contention thanks to their up and down year, bringing into question the job security of head coach John Tortorella once the season is over.
During today's game against the basement-dwelling Chicago Blackhawks, who have no chance at the postseason, the Flyers managed to get whistled for a pair of penalties within seconds of each other in a microcosm of how things have gone for them.
The 1st infraction was Flyers captain Sean Couturier tripping Chicago's Joe Veleno; Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight immediately began making a beeline for the bench.
But just a few moments later, Flyers rookie forward Matvei Michkov interfered with Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, who fell to the ice.
Right now, this game isn't exactly looking encouraging for the Flyers as they trail the Blackhawks 6-4 late in the 2nd period.
Flyers GM Daniel Briere has a decision to make with John Tortorella
Tortorella, who has been an NHL head coach for over 25 years and won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, has been unable to lead the Flyers to a postseason spot since being hired in June of 2022.
He coached the Flyers to 31 and 38 wins respectively in his first 2 years on the job, but unless they win out, they won't come close to matching last year's 38 wins.
Throughout his career, Tortorella has garnered a reputation for eventually wearing out his welcome amidst reports that his players begin to tune him out at a certain point.
Briere will have to decide soon if Tortorella is the right man behind the bench for his long-term vision of the team.
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