Flyers: Goaltending Is a Symptom of Defensive Struggles

Carrying three goaltenders is an infrequent measure in the NHL.

Only six teams in the NHL have a roster formatted to carry three active goaltenders. The Carolina Hurricanes, the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota Wild, the Ottawa Senators, the San Jose Sharks, and the Philadelphia Flyers (14-15-4) all carry three goaltenders who could start in a moment. This short list does not include teams carrying a third goaltender while another is on standard or long-term injured reserve.

Sam Ersson, Alexei Kolosov, and Ivan Fedotov combine for an 88%SV and a 3.23GAA. Comparably, here is how they stack among the other five teams with three active goaltenders on the current roster:

• Andersen, Kochetkov, Tokarski: 17-6-0, 91.1%SV, 2.2GAA
• Husso, Talbot, Lyon: 12-14-4, 90.4%SV, 2.93GAA
• Gustavsson, Fleury, Wallstedt: 20-8-4, 91.4%SV, 2.46GAA
• Ullmark, Forsberg, Søgaard: 17-13-2, 90.5%SV, 2.64GAA
• Vaněček, Georgiev, Askarov: 5-10-2, 88.6%SV, 3.64GAA

The Flyers rank slightly better than the Sharks. Aside from that, the Philadelphia trio is underachieving. Ersson is the unquestioned starting goaltender. John Tortorella named Kolosov the backup goaltender. However, Fedotov remains a placeholder on the roster.

“Danny [Brière] and I have talked about that. I’m not sure when that’s going to happen, but I do have it figured out. Ers [Ersson] is our number one, Koly [Kolosov] is our number two, and Feds [Fedotov] is our number three. That’s been decided. I’ve talked to Feds; I’ve talked to all the goalies about where we’re at. Now, the mechanics of Feds and all that, that falls a little bit with Danny, and we’re having conversations about that. [We] still got to check out Ers, [and] make sure he stays healthy. That’s a question mark. We got to wait and see what happens.” – John Tortorella; 12/12/2024

Conversations are happening about the timeframe for carrying three goaltenders on the roster. Tortorella is speaking with Daniel Brière. Before deciding, it would be wise to determine the root cause of the goaltender struggle. Kolosov and Fedotov are still on the NHL learning curve, and at times, they are at the mercy of the defense playing in front of them.

Sam Ersson

Ersson is 2-3-0 in his last five starts (vs. SJS, vs. UTA, at CBJ, at MIN, at DET) with an 84.7%SV and 3.6GAA. The shootout win versus San Jose dates before Ersson returned from a lower-body injury.

A good portion of the goals surrendered by Ersson come from deflections, screens, and miscues in the defensive zone. Zach Werenski, Kirill Kaprizov, and Michael Rasmussen are saves Ersson should make. Werenski scored from the point while Ersson had a look, Kaprizov had a sharp angle that Ersson needed to seal, and Rasmussen took Ersson by surprise off the faceoff draw. Certainly, Tortorella would like Ersson to make the save on Kevin Stenlund, Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, and Patrick Kane. Those shooters all had a point-blank opportunity, and the defense is asking a lot from any goaltender in those situations.

After analyzing those surrendered by Ersson, he is not in a strong position to succeed. His numbers reflect the defense in front of him, or at times, the lack thereof. Lately, that surfaced when Tortorella made Emil Andrae and Cam York a healthy scratch.

“I just don’t think Emil [Andrae] played well for a little while.” – John Tortorella; 12/12/2024

Today, Andrae returned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Alexei Kolosov

Kolosov is 3-1-1 in his last five starts (at NSH, at STL, at BOS, vs. DET, vs. LAK) with an 89%SV and a 3GAA. That excludes the decision versus the Florida Panthers when Kolosov replaced Fedotov.

A casualty of unlucky bounces and poor defensive positioning, Kolosov is at risk on the penalty kill. The Flyers had an elite penalty-killing unit, but they recently fell to the middle of the pack in the NHL. Tortorella mentioned how the penalty kill deteriorated:

“The penalty kill itself; it’s not just Laughts [Laughton] or TK [Konecny]. It’s just been disjointed. I don’t think we’ve blocked enough shots with it. We’ve lost ourselves as far as moving altogether, being aggressive altogether. It’s been a mainstay for us, but I trust we’ll get it back.” – John Tortorella; 12/12/2024

Again, Tortorella would like to see Kolosov make a save on Brad Marchand, Kevin Fiala, and Anže Kopitar, but similar to Ersson, Kolosov is not getting much help defensively.

Too often, the defense does not clear the crease. Opposing forwards score on deflections, tip-in goals, and effective screens repeatedly. Nick Seeler, Travis Sanheim, and Jamie Drysdale were poor in that aspect when the Los Angeles Kings visited the Wells Fargo Center. But, that performance is not exclusive. Philadelphia outlasted the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues despite screens from teammates like Rasmus Ristolainen and Egor Zamula.

Last night versus the Kings, the defensive pairs were in a blender as York was a healthy scratch. However, Los Angeles skunked the Flyers in the third period, 4-0. When a team surrenders four goals in a period, the breakdown extends past the goaltender. A loss, 7-3, was a perfect storm of the fallout regarding the defense and goaltending.

Ivan Fedotov

Fedotov is 2-1-1 in his last five starts with an 89.3%SV and a 3GAA. His record does not include the start when Tortorella pulled him versus the Panthers. Each of his decisions took place in November.

Tortorella did not speak to the media after he pulled Fedotov versus Florida. Brad Shaw did. Despite the goaltending hierarchy or how Tortorella felt the next day regarding his decision to pull Fedotov, the numbers show that Fedotov had the most success in his last starts. What did Tortorella say the next day about Fedotov?

“I didn’t think he [Fedotov] looked sharp at all.” – John Tortorella; 12/6/2024

After pulling Fedotov, who allowed two goals, Kolosov allowed four more.

Dissecting the previous five starts (vs. BUF, vs. CAR, vs. VGK, vs. NYR, vs. FLA) invites comparison between Fedotov and Kolosov. Tortorella likely wants Fedotov to deny Evan Rodrigues. Kolosov allowed the Panthers back into the game with a weak four-on-four goal from the blue line by Gustav Forsling. Since this performance, Tortorella tucked Fedotov away as the third goaltender. The truth is, neither goaltender was sharp.

There is information out on Fedotov. Admittedly, he struggles with traffic in front of him. His worst performance occurred versus the Vegas Golden Knights, but his recovery on Black Friday against the New York Rangers deserved more trust.

Why Carry Three?

If we revisit the moment Tortorella named the goaltending hierarchy, he made a great point about Ersson. He pointed out that Ersson is a ‘question mark.’

“[He] [Ersson] has to make another save. All the games he’s played since he’s been back, there needs to be one more save. He’s made some really good saves, but the funny thing with goaltending; you get judged by the saves you don’t make. That’s been a little bit of a struggle with Sam. Sam has basically said that. As I’ve always said about him; that’s one guy that self-evaluates very well. Last night we needed another one.” – John Tortorella; 12/19/2024

Each of the three goaltenders must make another save. Tortorella said the same about John Grahame in the 2006 NHL Playoffs. Famously, he was ‘tired of the twenty-five percent rule.’ It is an ask Tortorella will always have from his goaltenders.

Sure, a hierarchy exists in Philadelphia, but after examining the last five games for each goaltender, a reconsideration makes sense. The Flyers are in a situation where Fedotov goes to the Phantoms if he passes waivers. If he does not, then Fedotov is lost for no gain. Kolosov, if he returns to Lehigh Valley, will not be pleased. Carrying three goaltenders is a required format because the sample size does not prove a clear backup, despite what Tortorella articulates to the media.

Additionally, the structure of the defense needs a remedy. If the plan is to find out which goaltenders are truly the best fit for a rebuild in Philadelphia, then the defensive pairings must be optimized. Anticipate Andrae to return to the Flyers after a stint with the Phantoms.

Expectedly, the rebuild is a work in progress and Philadelphia has a goaltending situation that requires patience.