With Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark being under the weather, Philadelphia Flyers netminder Samuel Ersson started for Team Sweden on Feb. 17 against Team USA.
Ersson certainly had a challenging task in front of him against Team USA. While Team USA is dealing with multiple injuries, he still faced off against several superstars in the contest. However, he stepped up in a big way for Sweden in their final game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Ersson's night started off less than ideal, as he allowed the game's opening goal to New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider just 35 seconds into the first period. However, he bounced back beautifully after this and dominated for the rest of the contest.
Ersson ended the game with an impressive 32 saves on 33 shots, which equates to a .970 save percentage. His marvelous goaltending led Team Sweden to defeat Team USA by a 2-1 final score. With this, Sweden won their first game of the tournament, while Team USA picked up their first loss.
Ersson will now look to build off this outstanding start with the Flyers once the 4 Nations Face-Off break is over. The Flyers resume play on Feb. 22 against a tough Edmonton Oilers club.
Ersson has a 16-10-3 record, a 2.81 goals-against average, and a .896 save percentage in 31 games this season with the Flyers.
