The last month and change has been something of a volatile stretch for Phantoms goaltender Aleksei Kolosov.
His two-game showing on recall to the Flyers went poorly, ending with him giving up three goals on each of the first three shots he faced against the Rangers in mid-January, and being relegated to the backup chair for the remainder of his time up with the big club. He was sent back down for the Phantoms’ last game of the month, and though there would ultimately be another another recall on the horizon, those first two games back for him were a bit of a challenge — in the first game against Springfield, he did well enough but certainly looked a bit rusty, but then in his second game of the weekend against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, things blew up on him more spectacularly, as the team in front of him started to break down and he did himself no favors in allowing his focus in the game to noticeably drop out.
This was a particularly poor showing, and undoubtedly cause for a bit of concern — after all, the Phantoms needed steady goaltending to get themselves out of the funk they were in, and what’s more, what’s one to make of the developmental projection of a player who can’t stay engaged in games for their entirety? — but the good news is that, when he was sent back down to the Phantoms during the NHL Olympic break, and as he’s been able to get steadier and more consistent work in, the tides have begun to turn for him.
His run of games through the month of February remained a bit up and down as far as the overall results go (some of that being within his power, much of it operating outside of it), but it’s been notable how quickly he was able to shake off the roughest bits of his game and get things rolling again. By mid-February, he was able to snap a seven-game losing streak, and he’s turned around and picked up wins now in two of his last three games. And it was that last win, a huge response in the rematch last weekend against Hartford after dropping a heartbreaker to them in the shootout the night before, marked a huge shift in morale for the team, and their accompanying faith in Kolosov as a player.
“Yeah, [Kolosov] was great back there today, honestly,” forward Lane Pederson said after the game, “Made some really timely saves. You know, the game could have turned, but he was a backbone back there. And then I thought our D were great in the neutral zone, being aggressive, you know, not giving the other team much. And then, as forwards, I thought we managed the puck a little bit better tonight, too. So, it was it was a great effort.”
It does feel important to acknowledge that, while Kolosov has been doing well to settle down his play on an individual level, he’s also been getting a bit more help in front of him from his defenders in their positioning, and from the team in general in their puck management, and that complete picture has worked well to help drive these improved results. All the same, it’s hard to argue that the way that he’s been able to refocus his game when they’ve needed it the most hasn’t made a very strong impression.
“He’s been great,” head coach John Snowden went on. “I think he’s competing in the net. You know, I think a lot of teams are like the teams that we’ve been playing are pretty heavy volume based teams and traffic. I mean, this team tonight, they got some big rigs that go to the net front and they stand there. They got two guys at the net. They’re deshoot everything from the top. So for him, you know, he’s not the biggest goalie in the world. He’s got to fight through four or three or four red Oaks in front of the net there, trying to see around it. And, I thought today he did a really good job of battling in the net. I know it’s not easy when every time you turn around there’s someone in your face, and we made some adjustments towards the third period that can help with maybe those situations where we’re not, we’re putting them into ice where he can see around the screens and the long-distance shots there, but I think he’s been really good. His battle and his compete to finish games has been what we need out of him and what we want out of him, and it starts in his practice habits of making sure he finishes practices the right way, and it’s leading into his wins right now.”
Kolosov’s play has always been a bit on the volatile side, but it remains that he’s at his best when he’s getting a lot of starts, when he’s able to stay engaged and staying in rhythm. That’s a balance that the Phantoms have been able to strike with him over these last few weeks, and if they’re able to keep it going, their positioning for a run into the playoffs will be all the better.
