The Philadelphia Flyers losing starting goaltender Sam Ersson for any extended period of time would perhaps be the team’s absolute worst-case scenario.
At least for the next few days, the club will get a preview of what life without their No. 1 goalie looks like.
In the Flyers’ Saturday matinee against the Boston Bruins at Wells Fargo Center, Ersson mysteriously exited the game at the 7:36 mark of the first period. Showing no apparent signs of injury, many assumed he was stepping away for a few minutes to tend to an equipment issue — he had to replace a skate blade not long before his exit.
The Flyers later announced Ersson would not return to the game. Rookie netminder Aleksei Kolosov filled in for him for the remainder of the contest.
Following their 3-0 defeat, the Flyers announced Ersson suffered a lower-body injury and did not disclose any further details. Flyers head coach John Tortorella, usually not one to be tight-lipped, also did not provide any specifics, which is normal for him whenever asked about injuries.
“Body injury. I haven’t talked to the medical guys,” he said.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed Saturday night that the Flyers are “looking at about a week” without Ersson, indicating the 25-year-old’s injury shouldn’t be a cause for great concern in the long run.
But even just a few days without Ersson could be enough to put the Flyers in a tailspin. Their upcoming three-game road trip will have them facing off against some of the best teams in the NHL. They take on the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday, then visit the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night before closing out the road trip against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday.
And without Ersson, it’ll likely be Kolosov tasked with getting at least a couple of those starts.
Kolosov, 22, has appeared in just two games since joining the Flyers after a rather tumultuous offseason. But while both of his appearances resulted in losses, he’s shown encouraging signs of competency as a backup.
Kolosov made 20 saves on 24 shots in his NHL debut — a 4-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens — last Sunday. And though he looked shaky at times, he settled in nicely as the game progressed.
He looked even better Saturday afternoon against Boston, turning aside 20 of 22 Bruins shots and making several timely saves that kept the Flyers from being run out of their own building.
Kolosov looked noticeably more comfortable, and he confirmed as much after the game.
“I feel a lot better. I was more understanding in the game, so I [felt] a lot better today in the game,” Kolosov said through translator Slava Kuznetsov.
He then elaborated that he felt more comfortable about all aspects of the game, including traffic in front of the net and the Flyers’ general style of play. He also stated he wanted to improve his ability to fight through traffic and find the puck faster.
But given the hand he was dealt, it was hard not to come away impressed with the rookie’s mental toughness.
“I thought he fought. It’s a hell of a spot we put him in,” said Tortorella.
“I thought we played hard in front of him. I don’t think there’s gonna be a problem there at all. He’s got some personality to his game. He fights.”
Flyers captain Sean Couturier echoed Tortorella’s thoughts in the locker room.
“He made some big saves. He kept us in. They were outshooting us most of the game, and he kept us in there, gave us a chance, and that’s what you want from your goalie,” he said.
“I don’t know him a whole lot yet, but he fights for pucks and doesn’t give up, and I like what I see.”
Kolosov is far from a finished product. NHL goalies rarely are at 22 years old. But in his two games of action, he’s at least put the Flyers in position to compete.
The same can’t be said for fellow first-year NHLer Ivan Fedotov, who was awarded the backup role behind Ersson to start the season.
To this point, Fedotov has yet to instill any confidence in the Flyers coaching staff. Unlike Kolosov, Fedotov has looked visibly uncomfortable in net. He’s allowed four or more goals in each of his three appearances on the season and still hasn’t shown any signs of improvement. Fedotov will surely be ready to step in if need be, but at this point, Kolosov has earned the honors of filling in for Ersson.
Regardless of who’s manning the crease, the Flyers won’t have a chance at beating any of Carolina, Tampa, or Florida without improved play across the board. The Flyers are currently allowing an average of 3.67 goals against per game, which ranks fifth-to-last in the entire NHL. And after their exciting seven-goal outburst against the Minnesota Wild last Saturday, their offensive struggles have reverted back to pedestrian.
The team needs to improve in all facets of the game. If they can’t, the goalies will suffer.
“We have to play well in front of our goalies. To me, when you play well in front of your goalies, you have the puck more,” said Tortorella.
“Playing defense has to be a priority for us in the situation we have with our goaltending situation and just where we are as a team. Offense comes off of that.”
The good news for the Flyers is the defensive play has improved considerably since the team’s loss to the Canadiens last Sunday. The offense, on the other hand, is still very much a work in progress. In their last three outings, the Flyers are averaging just 20 shots on goal while collecting a grand total of four goals over that span.
The offense is a weak link, and Tortorella isn’t oblivious to that.
“There’s no question offensively we’re still not there. We have done such a good job in the middle of the ice in front of our goalie. I think we’ve defended very well there. I still don’t think we’re there offensively in the offensive zone,” he said.
“There’s definitely more work we need to do as far as entries, as far as support, and within offensive zone pressure.”
How can the Flyers start generating more offense and providing goal support for their backstops? For Tortorella, it all starts with the wings.
Owen Tippett, fresh off setting career bests in goals (28), assists (25), and points (53), has found the back of the net just once in the Flyers’ first 12 games. Tyson Foerster, after an outstanding campaign that saw him tie for third place in rookie goal-scoring last season, has collected a grand total of three points and was even banished to the press box for a game as a healthy scratch.
The Flyers are deeper at wing than any other position. But when they’re not firing on all cylinders, the entire team suffers for it.
“Our winger position — [Foerster], [Tippett] — just to get them going I think will help us. But they’re fighting at the same time. I look at the center ice position, and I’ve been very honest about that as far as what we’re gonna do with our center ice, where does everybody fit? I think [Couturier] has worked his ass off in the middle of the ice, but it just hasn’t developed, other than that [Wild] game, into a bunch of offense, too. The wingers I think are our strength of our team. We’ve got to find to get some sort of confidence with our wings.”
The season is nearly a month old, and the Flyers have still yet to play a complete game for 60 minutes. A crucial facet of the game has lacked on a nightly basis. On nights where the defense plays well, the offense struggles. And on nights where the offense is clicking, the game morphs into a high-scoring barnburner.
Now, the Flyers can’t afford to play an incomplete 60 minutes. Not against the Hurricanes, Lightning, or Panthers. Not without Ersson.
If they do, it probably won’t end well.
Without a proven, dependable Plan B in net, this is what the Flyers signed up for.
