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Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella acknowledged that he pulled his goalie without knowing that the Detroit Red Wings had scored an equalizer in their game.
The incident took place during the Flyers’ crucial game against the Washington Capitals, a game they had to win in time to stay in the playoff race. With the game tied at 1-1, John Tortorella decided to pull goalie Samuel Ersson for an extra attacker, hoping to secure a regulation win.
However, unbeknownst to him, the Red Wings had forced overtime in their game, which meant that even if the Flyers had won, they would have been eliminated from playoff contention.
In his post-game interview, John Tortorella revealed,
"I had info on the Detroit game right after they (Washington) scored their empty netter. I think it happened pretty close together. But I was pulling him. I'm pulling him, and that was the right time to pull him.”
“Didn't know anything was going on with Detroit at that time, but immediately after that, our video guys told us that Detroit just went to overtime." Tortorella added.
The Flyers' decision to pull their goalie was based on the assumption that they could still make the playoffs by winning in regulation. However, the Red Wings securing a point by going to overtime rendered the Flyers' efforts futile.
The Washington Capitals capitalized on the empty net, with T.J. Oshie scoring to seal a 2-1 victory. The Capitals' victory guarantees their spot in the NHL playoffs setting up a matchup against the New York Rangers in the opening round.
John Tortorella's Flyers lost 2-1 to the Washington Capitals
The Philadelphia Flyers' fading playoff hopes took another hit Tuesday night as they fell 2-1 to the Washington Capitals.
Late in the opening frame, Washington finally broke through when star winger Alex Ovechkin tipped home a point shot from defenseman Dylan McIlrath. It was Ovechkin's 43rd goal of the season as he continued climbing the NHL's all-time goals list.
In the second period, the Flyers evened the score thanks to Erik Johnson. The veteran defenseman crashed the net and managed to deflect Egor Zamula's shot past Lindgren. The tally knotted the game at 1-1.
Earlier in the first period, Joel Farabee appeared to open the scoring for Philadelphia. But the goal was disallowed after the referee lost sight of the puck and erroneously blew the play dead.
The deadlock held until the final minutes when Washington's T.J. Oshie scored into the empty net with just over three minutes left, sealing the 2-1 result for the visiting Capitals.
Charlie Lindgren finished with 27 saves for Washington, while Samuel Ersson stopped 16 of 17 shots for Philadelphia.
