Sam Ersson flourishing under heightened workload

Against all odds, the Philadelphia Flyers are the hottest team in hockey.

Including their 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center Tuesday night , the club is riding a nine-game point streak and leads the entire NHL with 28 points since November 10. Perhaps most impressively, the Flyers are pulling this off despite averaging just 2.90 goals per game — good for 23rd in the league.

With spotty goal-scoring numbers, strong goaltending has been paramount for this Flyers team, and 24-year-old netminder Sam Ersson has more than held up his end of the bargain.

Ersson made 24 saves en route to his third consecutive victory Tuesday night, and after winning the Flyers\' backup goalie job over Felix Sandstrom in training camp, it\'s clear he is beyond capable of being a legitimate difference-maker in the crease.

\"I\'ve been feeling more and more confident. I\'ve been getting into a little bit of a flow here, getting some games in a row. It\'s been a lot of fun,\" Ersson told the media after the Flyers\' victory in Newark.

\"For me, it\'s very important to stay in the moment and be present. I know how I started the year. I know how it feels when things are not going great, so just staying in the moment and taking it game by game here.\"

Ersson\'s start to the year was rocky, to say the least. He allowed 12 goals on 50 shots in his first two starts of the campaign, and he admitted he wasn\'t playing to his normal standard in his first games as a full-time NHL backup.

Since then, he\'s been nothing short of spectacular, and his play has been critical for the Flyers throughout their recent run of success.

His latest lights-out performance was particularly impressive. Against a high-powered Devils team featuring the likes of Jack and Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Tyler Toffoli, Ersson made numerous key stops to guide the Flyers to victory. One of his bigger saves of the night came in the third period after an ugly turnover in the neutral zone by Cam York during a Flyers power play. New Jersey forward Curtis Lazar gathered the loose puck and darted in on Ersson with a golden opportunity to break the 2-2 tie, and Ersson stoned him.

https://twitter.com/ryanquigz/status/1737294879783362808

Ersson went on to make several more big stops in overtime before Owen Tippett netted the game-winning goal off a Jack Hughes turnover.

\"The thing that\'s impressed me about him is when he was struggling early on, he owned it. He talked about how disappointed he was in his play. Basically, he was saying, \'I\'m gonna play better.\' And he has,\" head coach John Tortorella told the media after the game.

\"Each start that he gets, he looks bigger to me. He settles himself down. In the third period, overtime, he made some great saves to keep it tied so we have a chance to win. Each game, he\'s playing better and better.\"

It\'s likely no accident that Ersson\'s strong play directly coincides with the absence of Carter Hart, who has been in and out of the lineup the last few weeks with an illness. Early in the season, Ersson worked through obvious struggles while adjusting to life as an NHL backup — a role that requires different preparation tactics compared to goalies who play two or three games in a row. Now, he\'s finally earning consistent starts.

It sure seems to be making a difference.

\"I think (Flyers goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh) has done a terrific job with him, just getting him ready. It\'s a tough job when Carter\'s been playing really well all year long, and he has to wait his turn. Dilly kept him prepared,\" Tortorella said.

\"I think he just revs himself up to be better. That\'s mental. That isn\'t a physical skill, that\'s a mental skill.\"

With a healthy Hart in the fold, the Flyers\' goalie tandem can be considered among the better couplings in the NHL. Hart has been rock-solid all season, sporting a 2.42 goals against average and .919 save percentage in 17 starts. Ersson\'s numbers are even better. Excluding his first three appearances of the season, the 2018 fifth-round pick boasts a phenomenal .929 goals against average alongside a 1.85 save percentage. He\'s also been nearly perfect in the shootout, turning aside nine of 10 shooters with a perfect 3-0 record in the mini skills competition. Ersson has wins eight of his last 10 starts with only one of his two losses coming in regulation.

The Flyers are getting game-changing play from both of their goalies, and it\'s completely flipping the script many had written about the Flyers going into the season.

It\'s unclear when Hart will return to his regular role as the Flyers\' No. 1 goalie. But until then, Ersson has no issue filling the void.

\"For me, getting more games in the league under my belt helps a lot, and getting to know the league and getting more comfortable,\" Ersson said.

\"I\'ll take all the games I can get.\"

Talking Points