Flyers Notes: Sam Ersson Opens Eyes, Could Give Torts a Goalie Option

Rookie goaltender Sam Ersson is opening eyes with his strong play, including the Philadelphia Flyers’ impressive 4-0 win Monday in Buffalo.

He made 28 saves and recorded his first  NHL shutout.

“I got three games there is a row, so it’s nice,” said Ersson, referring to recent wins against San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim. “I kind of got a feel for things and got into a little flow.”

After allowing five goals in his NHL debut in Carolina, Ersson has surrendered just six goals, total, over his last four performances.

Carter Hart (2.97 GAA, 908 save percentage in 29 games) started the previous two games before Monday.

Ersson (2.30, .924 in five games) is playing so well that he may force his way into more playing time. He’s giving coach John Tortorella an interesting option, and putting pressure on Hart to perform.

Good pressure. And healthy competition.

The 23-year-old Ersson will give the Flyers a difficult decision once Felix Sandstrom’s two-week conditioning stint at Lehigh Valley ends. At that point, Sandstrom would have to clear waivers to remain with the Phantoms — or be recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ersson would not need to clear waivers to go back to Lehigh Valley.

The Sweden native became the 14th Flyers rookie in franchise history to notch a shutout, and the first one since Anthony Stolarz in 2019. According to the NHL, he required the fifth-fewest number of games (four) by a Flyers rookie to collect a shutout. The goalies who did it quicker: Robbie Moore (one game in 1978-79), Stolarz (two games in 2016-17; he was still a rookie in 2019), Bob Froese (three games in 1982-83), and Doug Favell (three games in 1967-68).

Ersson also became the fourth Flyer to to win each of his first four career decisions, joining Bob Froese in 1983, Antero Niittymaki in 2004-05, and Ron Hextall in 1986.

Flyers notes

Here are some notes along the Flyers’ beat:

• Travis Konecny had two assists Monday, giving him seven multi-point performances in his last nine games. That’s the most in that span by any NHL player.
• Konecny has a career-high nine-game point streak. He also has a nine-game road point streak, the longest for the Flyers since since Jeremy Roenick had a 12-gamer on the road in 2001-02.
• Joel Farabee, 22, is regaining his form after off-season neck surgery. He has five points over his last four games, and eight points (four goals, four assists) in his last nine games.
• James van Riemsdyk played in his 900th career game Monday. The 33-year-old left winger is the eighth player from the 2009 draft to reach that milestone, and he has the fifth-most points in the NHL from that draft. JVR (578 points) is behind only Patrick Kane (933), Jamie Benn (740), Jake Voracek (679), and David Perron (600).
• Noah Cates, 23, who has 17 points (5-12), is tied for eighth in scoring among NHL rookies.
• Kevin Hayes leads the Flyers with 26 assists; he has six points (1-5) over his last four games.
• The Phantoms announced they will hold an outdoor practice Jan. 22. It will be open to the public and held at Spring Mountain Adventures in Schwenksville, Pa., from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. After practice, there will be public skating permitted.