Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella took responsibility for his team's ugly 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
"It's my job to prepare this team in this type of situation," Tortorella told reporters postgame. "I haven't done a good enough job the past couple games."
He added, "This falls on me. I'm not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we're at right now. But I have to do a better job."
It's the second straight ugly defeat for the Flyers, who also suffered a 7-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Philadelphia has now dropped six games in a row and is 1-10-1 in its last 12 contests as it limps toward a last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division.
The 66-year-old bench boss further elaborated on his postgame comments during an interview with The Athletic's Kevin Kurz on Wednesday morning.
"I know where we're at. Let's not dodge that. They know where they're at," Tortorella said.
"I've changed my coaching," he continued. "When I was a younger coach, you say, doesn't matter - 10 games (left), you go. … I think I have a better understanding of the situation we're in as a guy that's been in the league. I understand what I think some of the players are going through. It's not the time to kick them."
The Flyers own the fourth-worst points percentage in the NHL and are on track to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season - the third under Tortorella.
Tortorella ranks ninth on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list with 770. He won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and is one of seven coaches in NHL history to win multiple Jack Adams Awards.
