New Sam Ersson Injury Timeline Reported; Encouraging Flyers News

The Philadelphia Flyers lost starting goalie Sam Ersson to a lower-body injury just over seven minutes into Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 shutout loss to the Boston Bruins, but, based on the latest report, fans will not be missing Ersson for too long.

In his “Saturday’s Headlines” segment for Sportsnet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed the latest Ersson injury timeline, which put many Flyers fans at ease for the time being.

“The Flyers, it sounds like they’re looking at about a week,” Friedman reported. “So, thankfully, not serious for Ersson.”

Another week, another Saturday Headlines from @FriedgeHNIC 📰 pic.twitter.com/4i1eSyMgol

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 3, 2024

Ersson, 25, appeared to have suffered an injury after losing a skate blade in the first period in the game against the Bruins. Ersson’s right skate blade popped loose as he tried to push from left to right and did not appear to be in significant physical distress, though he obviously left the game and did not return.

If Friedman’s belief is accurate and Ersson misses exactly one week from Saturday’s game against Boston, the Flyers could get their starting goalie back in time for a home matchup with the San Jose Sharks on Monday, Nov. 11.

The Flyers will embark on a three-game road trip this week with away dates with Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Florida on Nov. 5, Nov. 7, and Nov. 9, respectively. Should Ersson miss a week, he would almost assuredly miss the aforementioned road trip.

Flyers need Aleksei Kolosov, Ivan Fedotov to shine

The Flyers’ next three games are not going to be walks in the park. Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Florida are all perennial playoff contenders, and though Tampa Bay is not the team it used to be, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy are still elite hockey players.

Aleksei Kolosov, who saved 20 of 22 shots (.909) for the Flyers in relief of Ersson on Saturday, is likely to start at least two of those games. It is a remarkably tough spot for a rookie 22-year-old goalie to be put in, as head coach John Tortorella alluded to in his postgame press conference after the loss to Bruins, but Kolosov is the Flyers’ best option right now.

On the flip side, Ivan Fedotov, who was forced to change out his suit for his pads and serve as the emergency backup after Ersson was injured, is running out of time and chances to turn the page on a slow start to his NHL career.

The 27-year-old former KHL Goaltender of the Year has not played since Oct. 23, when he allowed four goals on 23 shots in a 6-3 loss to Washington. In his NHL career, Fedotov has a 0-4-1 record, a jaw-dropping 5.18 GAA, and a paltry .817 save percentage.

At times, Fedotov has flashed his potential to be an NHL-caliber goalie, but that progress has been marred by gaffes and inconsistency.

After being supplanted by Kolosov as the Flyers’ backup goalie, Fedotov’s performance next week – if Tortorella trusts him to play – will not only be crucial to the team’s success, but his future in the NHL, too.

The Flyers will have a day off on Sunday before returning to practice at 11 a.m. on Monday. An official Ersson injury update could be issued by the team at or before that time.