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The Flyers are suffering with the injury bug at the moment, where media and fans alike are left once again scratching their heads with Jamie Drysdale the latest to hit IR (Injured Reserve). Travis Konecny and Rasmus Ristolainen are also hurt, and don’t forget Carter Hart is away from the team due to the Hockey Canada sexual assault that took place in 2018.
Enter Cal Petersen who was recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Hart’s absence. Petersen entered Sunday’s game with a .920 Save Percentage, and he was 2-0 and his previous two starts before getting pelted against Pittsburgh in the 7-6 loss. He was very scattered brained, and he had troubling corralling rebounds. By my count, he should have saved at least three of those said goals against Pittsburgh.
Theoretically, Hart’s absence isn’t a bad thing. This gives the Flyers a shot to not only get a look at a Samuel Ersson, but Petersen, as well. After that horrific start against Pittsburgh on Sunday you should come as no surprise that Petersen was waived today by the Flyers, ultimately paving the way for Felix Sandström to rejoin the big club at some point. The Flyers could stash Petersen in Lehigh, thus freeing up his $5 million salary.
In the end, the Flyers will only need the backup goaltender to play in four to five more games throughout the course of the season, per John Tortorella. There is no wiggle room for error, or time for that matter to see if Petersen could be the guy or not. The playoffs are on the line here, every point matters this time of year.
