John Tortorella is impacting the Rangers’ playoff chances again.
The Rangers will take on the Capitals in the first round of the NHL playoffs this weekend after a bizarre sequence near the end of Washington’s game against Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
The Capitals needed a victory over the Flyers to secure the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, while the Flyers needed a regulation win plus a regulation loss by the Red Wings.
The Red Wings, who were playing the Canadiens at the same time as the Capitals-Flyers matchup, would have secured a playoff spot with a win and a Capitals loss.
Those scenarios set the scene for a wild stretch at the end of both games.
With approximately four minutes left and the Flyers and Capitals tied 1-1, the Red Wings’ David Perron scored with seconds remaining in Montreal to even that game 4-4 and force overtime.
The point the Red Wings got from reaching overtime eliminated the Flyers from the playoffs.
However, not long after, Tortorella decided to pull Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson — with the teams still tied — to go for the regulation win.
The Capitals’ T.J. Oshie promptly scored an empty-netter to put Washington ahead for good and lock in the final playoff spot.
“I got info on the Detroit game right after they scored the empty-netter,” said Tortorella, who coached the Rangers from 2008-13 and took the team to the playoffs four out of five seasons.
“I think it happened pretty close together, but I was pulling him … I’m pulling him. That was the right [time] to pull him. I didn’t know anything was going on with Detroit at that time, but immediately after that you guys told us Detroit just went to overtime.”
Given the proximity of the Red Wings’ goal and Tortorella’s decision, it is certainly an understandable situation.
The Capitals won four of their final five games to outlast the Red Wings, Flyers and Penguins for the second wild-card spot.
“We’ll take it. Thanks, Philly,” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who scored the opening goal of the game, said after learning about the timing of the Flyers pulling Ersson.
Pittsburgh would have needed Washington and Detroit to lose and then the Penguins would have had to beat the Islanders on Wednesday night to sneak into the postseason.
The Rangers earned the East’s top seed and The President’s Trophy with 114 points this season.
