After on-ice tirade, Tortorella calls OT loss ‘a hard-fought point’

Wait, he's restrained himself.

John Tortorella, the fiery bench boss of the Columbus Blue Jackets, has turned a new leaf with the Ohio club. But he wasn't so calm and collected right after his team's overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

Following the Canadiens' game-winner, scored on the power play with Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones in the penalty box, Tortorella was visibly upset with the on-ice officials.

In his postgame media conference, though, Tortorella was more even-keeled.

"It was a hard-fought point for us," he told reporters. "I thought we played hard and I like where we're going as a team."

Encouraged to share his thoughts on the penalty, the coach wasn't having it.

"Guys, don't try to work me into what went on," Tortorella said. "We played a good, hard game, so don't try to bait me into anything else. Just let me answer the questions about the game."

The Blue Jackets entered Tuesday's contest with wins in four of their last five, their lone defeat coming against the Nashville Predators, a 4-3 loss Feb. 19. The Blue Jackets now return home to face the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

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