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The month of January has been treating the Philadelphia Flyers fairly well so far. While they might not have gotten off on the right foot to begin the New Year, they have come back into their own and are playing some good hockey recently.
Currently, the Flyers are 21-20-6 with 48 points in 47 games played. They are 4-3-2 in January. Another big positive to add to this is the Flyers currently have points in five consecutive games going back to the game against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan 11. This may not be something to jump up and down about, but the team is coming together and they’re finally getting some solid goaltending.
Samuel Ersson has had his fair share of injuries and it’s been hard to stay healthy recently. However, since coming back from his last injury, he’s been very solid and coming up big for the Flyers. On the season, he holds down a record of 13-7-2, a 2.79 goals against average (GAA), and a .889 save percentage through 24 games (23 started). The Flyers have faced some tough competition in Ersson’s last four starts but he’s held down his position in net and has kept the team in games all night long.
NHL Network on X posted a graphic on Ersson’s stats in his last four games. Just look at these numbers, Flyers fans!
It seems to be a merry-go-round with the Flyers goaltenders when it comes to the backup position. Now, it looks like Ivan Fedotov has taken that role. With his two solid performances against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the shoot-out loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, it makes sense as to why head coach John Tortorella made this decision. Fedotov, on the season, holds down a record of 4-5-3, a 3.26 goals against average, and a .879 save percentage in 13 games played.
Tortorella talked about Fedotov’s resurgence in net and has given him some high praise for his recent play.
Metro Madness
The Flyers have been taking on opponents in the Metropolitan Division for the past week now and will do so the rest of the month (except for Detroit). All of these games should show whether or not they’re strong enough for the playoffs or not. Now, we all know that the Flyers aren’t Stanley Cup contenders and won’t be for a while. However, who says they can’t try? No team says, “We’re not good enough so let’s tank for the rest of the season to get a high draft pick.” That’s just not how it goes. The Flyers are going to fight hard until the very end. They only missed the playoffs by a few games last year. Remember that.
During my so-called “Metro Madness” period, the Flyers are 2-0-1 with five points with two matchups against the Devils and Islanders, and one against the Rangers left to go. They have a game against the Detroit Red Wings in between.
There could be a lot of excitement and chippiness in these games, so Flyers fans should have a lot to look forward to. In my opinion, the two games against the Islanders could be nasty. All Flyers fans remember that hit by rookie Maxim Tsyplakov on Ryan Poehling that knocked him out of the game. Tsyplakov was given a three-game suspension for such a hit, so he will not be available for their next matchup. However, he will be for their game on Jan 30. Will the Flyers look for revenge against him or will they keep their cool and play their game? Only time will tell.
Flyers Next Game
Flyers next game is Tuesday, Jan 21. in Philadelphia against the Detroit Red Wings.
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