PHILADELPHIA — John Tortorella had just won his first game with Philadelphia when an old friend stopped by outside the locker room to congratulate him.
“We missed you!” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told the new Flyers coach.
Welcome back to the league, Torts.
He got more than a win and some well-wishes from the commish — the Flyers awarded Tortorella the game puck.
“He just laughed and said, ‘See you tomorrow,’” forward Travis Konecny said.
Konecny and Morgan Frost scored 23 seconds apart in the second period to help Philadelphia beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 and made Tortorella a winner in his Flyers debut Thursday night.
Tortorella, who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, was the big offseason splash for a team coming off a last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division. Tortorella promised no quick fixes for a franchise that has bottomed out and a team widely projected as among the worst in the NHL this season.
On opening night, Tortorella turned the Flyers into winners.
“I didn't have any jitters. I was full of anticipation just to play,” Tortorella said.
Attendance has sagged in recent seasons, but the Flyers played to a near full-house and famed ring announcer Michael Buffer dropped his “Let’s get ready to rumble!” catchphrase to energize the crowd. Phillies manager Rob Thomson struck the game-opening drum and even Hall of Famer Eric Lindros was back in the house. For a team without bona fide playoff prospects, the Flyers tried to create a Game 1 feel in the season opener.
Konecny and Frost also scored in the third period. Wade Allison had a first-period goal and Carter Hart stopped 34 shots.
“We were hard to play against,” Hart said. “We were in a lot of lanes on pucks, blocking shots.”
Tortorella, who got a rousing ovation during pregame festivities, said the immediate goal was to make sure the Flyers are hard to play against and would earn respect from the rest of the NHL. With rookies or veterans, Tortorella said he won’t play favorites within his own team to get them to that point.
“I’m not going to hold hands and I won’t,” Tortorella said.
This game wasn’t exactly a marquee matchup on the schedule. The Devils posted a 27-46-9 record last season and finished with 63 points, the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. They haven’t made the playoff since 2018.
Alexander Holtz gave the Devils a 1-0 lead 8:01 into the game with his first career NHL goal and Allison tied it 23 seconds later -- the same span of time between Konecny and Frost’s goals against Mackenzie Blackwood that put the Flyers ahead 3-1.
Damon Severson scored in the third for the Devils to make it 4-2. Frost's second goal was an empty-netter.
“We didn't play well enough defensively,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “We got on the wrong side of the puck a couple of times. We know we have to play better defensively. That's our focus."
