Something that has been over a decade in the making is happening on Friday night in Buffalo. Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov will be making his first NHL start in between the pipes, the team announced on Friday morning.
The gargantuan 6-foot-8 goaltender made his first appearance against the New York Islanders on April 1, and after making a very solid 19 saves after coming in to rescue tandem-mate Sam Ersson in the first intermission, he has now earned a start in the first game of the Flyers’ upcoming back-to-back.
It isn’t like Fedotov is taking over the crease, since this is two games in two days, and we all expect Ersson to get the start on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. But, giving the 27-year-old rookie his first start against the arguable better team and with more pressure to get the two points, is certainly a sign of trust for the big man.
Now, it will only be interesting what happens after these two games. If Fedotov plays well — maybe a shutout win, we can hope — and Ersson doesn’t do as good, will we see Fedotov potentially get more than just one start in the remaining four games? If we see an even split, it will only add more intrigue as to who will be starting Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, if the Flyers make it there.
Will Tortorella go with the new player who technically has more experience in big games than Ersson? Or, will the status quo be held and Ersson remain the team’s starter, no matter what happens in the next couple of weeks?
After this weekend’s back-to-back against the Sabres and the Blue Jackets, the Flyers are facing the Canadiens, Rangers, Devils, and Capitals (in that order) as they continue to scratch and claw for every point in the current Eastern Conference playoff race.
It certainly feels good to potentially have two adequate NHL goaltenders.
