Entering the season with historically low expectations, not many were expecting much from the Philadelphia Flyers on opening night — even against another substandard squad like the New Jersey Devils. But the Flyers not only managed to beat the Devils, but even look fairly solid doing it.
The Flyers earned a 5-2 victory Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center, and with the win, head coach John Tortorella earned his first victory as the club’s latest head honcho.
“I thought we played our ass off,” Tortorella said after the game. “We played hard.”
Tortorella has made his mission to make the Flyers a tougher team to play against since his hiring in the offseason, and while his team still doesn’t quite have a set identity, the full team effort in Game 1 was a hugely encouraging sign.