The Flyers were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday night when the Detroit Red Wings scored with three seconds left in the third period to tie their game against the Canadiens at four goals apiece. Ghost assisted the goal and Keith Primeau’s kid conceded it.

It meant that the result of the Philly/Washington game was rendered meaningless for the Flyers, because they needed Detroit to lose in regulation, in addition to a regulation win of their own at home against the Capitals.

In an ensuing moment of hilarity, Torts pulled Sam Ersson AFTER the Detroit goal, which resulted in a Capitals empty netter and victory that eliminated both the Red Wings and Penguins from the postseason. After the game, he said he wasn’t aware that Detroit had scored until after Ersson was pulled:

“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.”

It’s funny, because some delusional Yinzers are rambling on Twitter, wondering if Torts screwed them out of the playoffs. They’re asking rhetorically if he learned of Detroit’s goal and yanked Ersson anyway, just to concede an empty-netter and dick over the Penguins in the process. While I would love for that to be the case, the Red Wings’ goal and Ersson pull happened so close together that it certainly seemed like Tortorella was unaware that the Flyers were already cooked, and he confirmed that in the quote above. You can ask yourself if the “video guys” should have told him sooner, but the Flyers were grinding in a 1-1 game and still very much alive up until the final moments.

Torts’ explanation is more than plausible, but who cares anyway because the Penguinos and their insufferable, entitled fans deserve pain. They can come join us on the couch for the postseason. We’ll meet you in the middle, somewhere like Shippensburg.