The Philadelphia Flyers are currently 3-6-1 through 10 games and are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for seventh in the Metropolitan Division with seven points. Their play has improved somewhat since their four-game road trip to begin the season, but a question still remains: Who is their backup goaltender?
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov. Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Samuel Ersson has taken over as the number-one goaltender for the Flyers with the departure of Carter Hart. However, he can't play every game for the rest of the season, so the Flyers need either Ivan Fedotov or Aleksei Kolosov to show that they can take on the duties of a backup goaltender.
So, who is going to be the backup goaltender for the Flyers? Let's dive into each of the goaltender's performances and give a case for each one for the backup goaltender role.
Ivan Fedotov
Fedotov hasn't had the start to the season that he would have hoped for. Through three games this season, he has a record of 0-3, a 5.35 goals-against average and a .821 save percentage.
He came over from Russia and joined the Flyers late last season, playing in three games but only starting one. In those three games, he had a record of 0-1 with a 4.95 goals-against average and .811 save percentage.
Fedotov only has a small sample size after coming over from the KHL, but if he wants to be the backup goaltender, he's going to have to work on his game.
In the three games that Fedotov has played, it's clear that he's struggling with handling traffic in front of the net and is allowing pucks to go through his legs too much. Against the Seattle Kraken on October 16, he allowed two pucks to go through his legs with no traffic in front.
One thing that Fedotov has is size. He's one of the biggest goaltenders in the NHL as he stands 6'7" and weighs 214 pounds. This is where Fedotov has an advantage. If he can play to his size and work on saving pucks through traffic in front, he should be the backup goaltender behind Ersson.
Aleksei Kolosov
After a drama-filled summer for Kolosov and the Flyers, he finally joined the team at the end of training camp hoping for a chance to win the backup goaltender role. He would be loaned to the AHL to get some playing time with the hopes that he would play with the Flyers at some point this season.
With Fedotov's recent struggles, head coach John Tortorella decided it was time to give Kolosov a chance, and Kolosov made his his NHL debut on October 27 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Kolosov allowed four goals on 24 shots (.833 save percentage) in a 4-3 loss to the Canadiens in his debut.
Quick east-to-west movement is something an advantage for Kolosov. He's able to read where the puck is going and get to that side of the net quickly to make a save.
While the stats don't stand out, his coach sounded pleased with the goaltender's debut.
“I thought (he) played good and he made some really good saves,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said, via Sportsnet.
Flyers need to figure it out
Both goaltenders have their advantages, but only one can be the backup. Meanwhile, neither has done anything to lay claim to the job. They're both rookies and will need time to figure their game out. The Flyers, however, don't have that time. Tortorella will need to make a decision soon if he wants to keep his team above water.
