By Aaron Bracy

February 20, 2023

@Aaron_Bracy

If we only had a goalie. That, seemingly, has been the mantra of the Philadelphia Flyers season after season since the 1970’s glory days of Bernie Parent.

There have been exceptions, of course, but the Flyers almost always have put a respectable product on the ice since Parent’s departure in 1979, often to be derailed by the play between the pipes. 

Shift to the present and the reverse is true: Philadelphia has gotten solid to exceptional play from starting goalie Carter Hart. And, now, rookie Samuel Ersson has emerged as a legitimate backup – and even someone who could push Hart for the top job. But the play in front of the goalies as the Flyers try to rebuild has been mediocre at best. 

The Flyers are playing hard on most nights for demanding first-year coach John Tortorella and deserve credit for their regularly honest effort. But there just isn’t enough offense in the lineup. 

As a result, Philadelphia is 23-25-10. Imagine where they’d be without good goaltending. It will take a miracle to reach the playoffs. And the franchise’s third Stanley Cup, following the consecutive titles Parent backstopped in 1974 and ’75, feels like a distant dream at this point.

However, if the Flyers somehow can sign players with more speed and offensive skill through free agency or the draft, it sure seems like they have a pair of goalies in Hart and Ersson that could lead a deep playoff run. 

It was Ersson in net on Monday afternoon in Calgary, making 32 saves, the most in his young career, to help lift the Flyers to a much-needed 4-3 victory over the Flames. The win elevated the 23-year-old Swede’s record to 6-0-0 in seven starts, making him the 11th goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first six career decisions. 

Ersson was only in the Flyers’ plans because Ivan Fedotov couldn’t make it out of Russia for training camp. He took advantage of the opportunity, and Tortorella has said that Ersson was the best goalie in camp. But it wasn’t until Dec. 23, 2022, on the road in Carolina, that Ersson got a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. 

And it was a disaster. 

He let in five goals on 22 shots and was lifted for Hart eight minutes into the second period. But Hart got injured later in the period, and Ersson came back in and stopped eight shots without allowing another tally. 

That was telling for Tortorella, and helpful for Ersson.

Said Tortorella, “I just think he has a mental side of him that’s strong for that position.”

"For me, to come back in and make some saves is something I can take with me at least," Ersson told reporters after the Carolina contest.

Ersson’s confidence grew from there, but keeping the backup seat on the bench proved difficult in spite of his strong play in the crease. Not wanting to lose Felix Sandstrom for nothing, the Flyers elected to send Ersson back to the minors rather than put Sandstrom on waivers. But Sandstrom’s play tested Tortorella’s patience, and the coach finally had enough after a 4-3 loss to Seattle on Feb. 12 dropped Sandstrom’s record to 1-8-1. 

When it’s not Hart, it will be Ersson, Tortorella said.

So there Ersson was in Calgary, standing tall early while the Flyers tried to find their legs. He showed his quick reactions later in the game, robbing the Flames’ Mikael Backlund with a terrific glove save with 1:30 remaining in the second period. It was a ten-bell save, as they say in hockey, and a key one to keep Philadelphia’s momentum heading into the final period.

From there, Ersson and the Flyers hung on.

“He was good,” Tortorella said afterward. “He made big saves throughout the game, but the early saves to allow us to get a lead was very important.”

Ersson’s perfect start has put him in some elite company. Among the goalies to accomplish the feat is Hall of Famer Ken Dryden, who won six Stanley Cups and five Vezina trophies, given to the league’s top goalie, with Montreal. Also on the list are solid NHL netminders like Frederik Andersen, Martin Jones and Bob Froese, who began 8-0 during his rookie year with the Flyers in 1982. 

But starting fast isn’t exactly a harbinger for success. Among the company that Ersson joined on Monday are Viktor Fasth, Frank McCool, Dan Ellis and Damian Rhodes. Not exactly household names. None of those players had winning records and most had short careers. 

For now, though, Ersson is looking and feeling good.

“Obviously it’s fun, it’s special,” he said of going 6-0-0. “I’m just trying to make my spot on the team. Every game is huge for me. I really have to focus on taking it game by game. I feel it’s very fun. I enjoy every game.”

It’s enjoyable for the Flyers and their fans, too. 

For once, they can say: 

We have a goalie – or maybe even two.

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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1997. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. E-mail him at bracymedia@gmail.com Follow on Twitter: @Aaron_Bracy.