John Tortorella usually has no problem speaking his mind.
The Blue Jackets' six-game losing streak has no doubt soured his mood lately, and he showed some impatience after Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. His team wasn't particularly sharp in the game, committed some ugly turnovers and didn't really give itself a chance against a team that's not in the playoff picture.
In true and honest Torts fashion, he admitted that the team's situation - having already clinched a playoff spot and its first-round matchup settled - is weighing into their recent results. He's not wrong. He said it's "human nature" to have a letdown in this scenario but wants his team to know they can't just flip a switch and be ready for the playoffs.
Because of that, he doesn't want to read too much into the result. At least that's what he's telling the media.
"I was impressed with him right away...it's really encouraging."
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 8, 2017
Torts on Gabriel Carlsson's debut & where the #CBJ stand: pic.twitter.com/iAntHtA5wd
Tortorella not wanting to "dissect" the team's effort post-game is straight out of his own playbook; it's the time of year to keep the concerns internal and, in turn, keep the heat off his players as much as possible. While the questions and concerns (in the media) seem to be mounting with each passing loss, Tortorella is trying to keep a lid on it as best he can.
