John Tortorella apologized for his recent comments on Felix Sandstrom

The Philadelphia Flyers are in the middle of a playoff chase. They haven't made it in a while and they weren't expected to make it when this season first began.

Now, they are a few points clear of a spot with a few weeks left to go. Tensions are high as each game could swing the standings in a huge way.

In their most recent game, they were defeated by the Florida Panthers who can make a claim to be the best team in the National Hockey League.

The Panthers scored four goals on 15 shots. Obviously, it wasn't the best game for goaltender Felix Sandstrom.

The Philadelphia Flyers have a lot going on with their team right now

When he was asked about the goaltender's play, John Tortorella didn't really have the best reaction. It didn't make Sandstrom look good as not having anything to say led Tortorella to leave the podium.

No matter what, there is no good that comes from throwing the goalie under the bus. Tortorella recognized that over the last few days and has now apologized on Tuesday.

Torts has had a lot of moments like this in his NHL head coaching career. He is very passionate about winning and it comes off the wrong way sometimes. However, he is a very good person and he cares deeply about his players on a human level. He has shown it time and time again.

When he makes a mistake, he owns up to it as well as anyone in the league. Other teams wish they had a coach like him. He knows the game and he knows how to manage people.

Not that anyone didn't believe Tortorella, but we now know that he apologized to Felix Sandstrom in person as well. He didn't just give a public apology to the media. That is a very good move on his end to address it to the player and aloud to the media room.

Now, the player knows that his coach has his back which is the most important thing. Everybody makes mistakes and it is about learning from them. It will be interesting to see how Sandstrom plays in his next start.