One Stat That Separates Aleksei Kolosov from Other Flyers Goalies

Some say Aleksei Kolosov is the worst goalie on the Philadelphia Flyers, and others say he is the best. But what do the stats say?

The stats say the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Kolosov, 23, has a .867 save percentage in his 16 games this season, and only Arturs Silovs (.861) and Cayden Primeau (.836) are worse among NHL goalies with at least 10 games played.

Sam Ersson, the Flyers' starter, and Ivan Fedotov have not been much better with their identical .881 save percentages.

Based on these raw numbers, it's easy to see why Kolosov might be the "worst" Flyers goalie, but he's actually played as good or better than his counterparts, except in one area.

According to MoneyPuck, Kolosov actually leads the Flyers in low-danger save percentage on unblocked shots with .956. Fedotov (.954) and Ersson (.953) narrowly trail the Belarusian, but they still trail him.

As for medium-danger attempts, Kolosov is by far and away the Flyers' best, with his .900 medium-danger save percentage on unblocked shots blowing away that of Fedotov (.844) and Ersson (.835).

The one area Kolosov is severely lacking in, however, is the one that might count the most. That is, his ability to make the big save for the Flyers, or lack thereof.

The 23-year-old's save percentage on unblocked high-danger shots is just .574, which is significantly lower than Fedotov's .784 and Ersson's .785.

Further to that point, MoneyPuck projects Kolosov's high-danger save percentage on unblocked shots to be .686, while Fedotov and Ersson are projected to sit at .685 and .662, respectively.

In short, Fedotov and Ersson are coming up big for the Flyers more than they probably should, while the opposite is true of Kolosov.

With added context, this phenomenon is not necessarily unusual, either.

Despite his similar lack of NHL experience, Fedotov has had more time to become familiar with the NHL, his Flyers teammates, and the callouts his defensemen use to coordinate breakouts and plays behind the net.

Ersson has been playing in North America for the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms since 2022, including three seasons as a full-time starter between the two.

Kolosov does not have those advantages.

He's younger, less experienced as a pro player, speaks the least English, and is eight inches shorter than Fedotov and three inches shorter than Ersson. The Flyers' former third-round pick has to do more with less, and bouncing around between the AHL and NHL and sitting in the press box for prolonged periods of time has done him no favors, either.

It's impossible to make a concrete evaluation on a young goaltender in just one season, especially one as chaotic as this.

We can, however, deduct that there are designs of an NHL goalie within Kolosov, and his full potential will not be unlocked overnight.

It is up to Kolosov himself and the Flyers organization to coax that out.

Kolosov was rock-solid for the Flyers as recently as Wednesday night, stopping 20 of the first 22 shots he faced through the first 40 minutes against the New York Rangers.

Then, he allowed two poor goals to forwards Jonny Brodzinski and J.T. Miller, which allowed the Rangers to tie the game at 3-3, then take the lead at 4-3.

Based on the stats referenced above, we can safely say that it was uncharacteristic of Kolosov to allow two such goals, but it can happen to anyone.

The Flyers, of course, ultimately won 8-5, with Brad Shaw, Sean Couturier, and Tyson Foerster all praising the young goalie's efforts during and after the game.

Kolosov earned his first NHL win since Dec. 12, when he made 25 saves on 26 shots in a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Notably, this was the first time the Flyers won a game in which Kolosov posted a save percentage below .900.

The Flyers are 5-1-0 in all games where Kolosov has a save percentage of .900 or higher.

As long as the youngster continues to work and improve alongside his teammates, he can carve out a long and productive NHL career. This is proof.