PHILADELPHIA – Samuel Ersson left the Philadelphia Flyers‘ 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in the first period Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center with a lower-body injury.
The goalie left the game with 12:24 left in the period, after stopping all eight shots he faced. He lost the blade on his right skate with 13:10 left in the period and left the game shortly after.
The Flyers had no timetable for Ersson’s absence. He was replaced by Aleksei Kolosov, who made 20 saves in his second NHL outing.
“I thought he fought,” coach John Tortorella said of Kolosov. “We really didn’t put him in an easy position. […] I thought we played well in front of “Koly”. I really don’t think there will be a problem with him. There is character in his game. He fights in front of his net. »
Ersson is 4-2-1 with a 2.68 goals-against average, .901 save percentage and one shutout in nine games (eight starts). Prior to Saturday, he had won his most recent three starts, posting a 2.00 GAA and .917 save percentage.
“He does his job quietly,” Tortorella said after Ersson made 20 saves in a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. “The team likes to play in front of him. It’s easy to play for him. »
The Flyers could now turn to Kolosov to take on the majority of the responsibilities. The 22-year-old rookie goaltender was recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League on October 26. The next day, in his first career game, he allowed four goals on 24 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Kolosov stopped 15 of 16 shots aimed at him in the final two periods on Saturday. He said he felt more and more comfortable as the match went on.
“It always gives you confidence to make saves and it helps you when you go into a match,” Kolosov said through a translator. “I felt a lot better. I understood the game better, so I was more comfortable in the match. »
The Flyers are still getting to know Kolosov, but they’re confident with what they saw Saturday.
“He made some big saves,” said forward Sean Couturier. “He kept us in the game. They dominated in shots the whole game, and he gave us a chance. That’s what you want from your goalkeeper. I don’t know him much yet, but he fights for pucks and he doesn’t give up. I like what I see. »
The Flyers had been using three goalies since Kolosov’s recall. On Saturday, Ivan Fedotov was left out in a fourth consecutive meeting.
The Flyers will visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
