The week started with an emotionally-charged victory against the Philadelphia Flyers’ newest rival. The next game proved to be a missed opportunity. And then Saturday’s game went from somewhat competitive to a downright blowout.
It was that kind of week for the Flyers, who still somehow find themselves in third place in the Metropolitan Division after all of that.
Here are my observations from this week. Here’s this week’s Flyers Files:
The Injury Bug Bites
For as entertaining and emotional as Tuesday’s game was, it provided the first real taste of the injury bug for the Flyers. Sure, they have been without Tyson Foerster since the start of December, and have held their own well, but they had seemingly found internal options to fill the void.
Tuesday’s game provided two more injuries to forward Bobby Brink and defenseman Jamie Drysdale, both on the receiving end of high hits. Drysdale’s injury nearly required the stretcher in the moment, and later forced him onto IR for now. Brink avoided IR, and could be back for Monday’s game.
Then on Thursday, Travis Konecny left early and did not return. He joined Drysdale and Brink in missing Saturday’s game, a 7-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Konecny was at practice on Sunday, but left that early after taking a puck off the knee during one of the drills. His status for Monday is now up in the air, when it looked like he would be a one-game absence.
Regardless of who is able to play, the Flyers have to battle through it, just like many other teams are at the moment.
Zegras’ Revenge Game
What a night it was for Trevor Zegras against his former team. Sure, Anaheim got on the board first and Cutter Gauthier had his moment, but Zegras got the last laugh and then some.
Gauthier’s 20th goal of the season was met with two in short order from Zegras, bringing him to 17 on the season.
The celebrations said it all. This meant more to Zegras than the average game. He could try to downplay it all he wanted to in the build-up, but afterwards couldn’t deny it. The playoff atmosphere rubbed off on the rest of Zegras’ teammates.
The two-goal game put Zegras at an even 41 points in 41 games, a point-per-game pace at the halfway point of the season. That also sent discussion of what Zegras’ next contract looks like, and when negotiations could start, stirring in the circles of Flyers fans on the web.
Everyone knows that the Flyers and Zegras appear to be a perfect fit for each other. Zegras is having a blast, to use his words after Tuesday’s game, and the Flyers are thrilled with the production and the level of play he has maintained. And while GM Danny Briere said that conversations have not started yet on an extension, I assume they will soon enough. Because if Zegras keeps this up, the price will only go higher, and the Flyers may not need to see much more to know that they want to go into the better part of the next decade with Zegras secured as part of the core.
Reaching a Breaking Point with Ersson?
If playing Saturday’s game without Konecny, Brink, and Drysdale made things an uphill climb against a red-hot team like the Tampa Bay Lightning, starting Sam Ersson didn’t exactly provide more confidence to the fan base.
Ersson’s season has been filled with struggles, really from the beginning. After a solid first start where he deserved a better fate than an overtime loss, Ersson allowed four goals on 14 shots against Winnipeg in his second start.
That seemed to set the blueprint for how most of Ersson’s starts have gone. Ersson won his next two starts after the game against Winnipeg, both in shootouts, then was out with injury for just under two weeks.
Ersson has had his moments – a quality performance in a shootout win over the Islanders on Nov. 28, a 27-save showing in a win over Buffalo on Dec. 3, a 20-save victory over Chicago to go into the holiday break. But they have just been too few and far between.
Here’s a rundown of Ersson’s last seven starts, dating back to Dec. 7:
Dec. 7 vs. Colorado – 25 saves on 28 shots in a 3-2 lossDec. 13 vs. Carolina – 18 saves on 21 shots in a 4-3 shootout lossDec. 18 at Buffalo – 23 saves on 27 shots in a 5-3 lossDec. 20 at NY Rangers – 23 saves on 27 shots in a 5-4 shootout lossDec. 23 at Chicago – 20 saves on 21 shots in a 3-1 winDec. 31 at Calgary – 21 saves on 26 shots in a 5-1 lossJan. 10 vs. Tampa Bay – 16 saves on 23 shots in a 7-2 loss
In those seven games, Ersson has a 3.90 GAA and .844 save percentage. The most recent loss on Saturday inflated his numbers to a 3.33 GAA and .858 save percentage on the season. Among goalies who qualify, Ersson’s GAA ranks 51st out of 63 goalies. His save percentage: dead last.
As the Flyers crossed the halfway point of the season among the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division, the playoffs are definitely an achievable goal. But the standings also remain so jam-packed that multiple scenarios are possible. If the Flyers want to take their shot at ending a five-year playoff drought, Ersson either has to find his game fast or the Flyers are going to have to contemplate other options.
Those options are very limited. Internally, they could turn to Aleksei Kolosov, who is having a solid season in the minors. Kolosov has a 9-9-1 record with a 2.54 GAA and .908 save percentage this season, massive improvements from his 3.11 GAA and .884 save percentage last season. Kolosov has appeared in two games for the Flyers this season. He made seven saves in relief of Dan Vladar on Nov. 1 against Toronto, then started the next night against Calgary, allowing two goals on 21 shots in a 2-1 loss.
That’s as far as the Flyers’ internal options go. Carson Bjarnason has really impressed as a 20-year-old in his first pro season. In 15 games, Bjarnason has a 9-3-3 record, a 2.47 GAA, and a .910 save percentage. That said, it doesn’t make much sense to suddenly throw Bjarnason into the fire of the NHL as he continues to progress in the minors.
So the Flyers only other option would be to either find a trade or make a waiver claim, should a goalie make it there. It’s very rare to find goalies on waivers, simply for the value of having goaltending depth within an organization. And a trade would be fairly slim pickings too.
So it really comes down to Kolosov and if the Flyers are ready to make such a decision. The ball is certainly in their court with each passing game that requires the use of a backup. The next one of those is already looming, a back-to-back against Buffalo and Pittsburgh this Wednesday and Thursday. There’s another back-to-back at the end of the month. And then there’s going to be a handful of games that should provide Vladar with a breather.
Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.
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