Photo Credit: Our very own Michael Reaves
Samuel Ersson struggled early last season with momentum saves, especially when he was used as a backup netminder, that would eventually turn the page on the game in the Flyers favor. However, when he took over the helm as a number one netminder following the departure of Carter Hart, Ersson became a stone wall for the most part. Sure he struggled a bit down the stretch, in large part due to workload, however, he managed to still put forth a good season.
Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella noticed his increased workload down the stretch, and he managed to use him more effectively over the course of the past month of the season. Ersson was pretty impressive with his rebound control, and he made timely saves most notably against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He moves laterally from post to post well, and he also donned a new goalie mask in the same token.
For his efforts, Ersson had a good year last year. So much so, he owns the 19th best GAA in Flyers history with a 2.87. That’s actually better than Carter Hart’s career 2.94 GAA as a Flyer.
Fast forward to the 2024 pre-season, where he pitched a 36 save shutout in his pre-season debut, followed by a 30 save performance against the Boston Bruins. Ersson only allowed two goals, which was good enough for a .938 Save Percentage. He was spectacular for the Flyers just like he was last year at times. Ersson made timely saves after being peppered trying to keep his team in it early, and also key saves in big moments to keep the Flyers engines going.
With the Flyers looking gassed and tired, Ersson did his best for the team to eventually prevail, “Two positives I get from this is our goaltending with Erss, and I think we found ourselves a little bit to stay in the game when we struggle in the first period. We don’t have the juice to compete right through it to sustain,” Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella said a few weeks ago.
Ersson continues, “Nothing is going to be given to me. I have to earn everything. Every game I want to play, just keep pushing myself to get better.” This is great to hear that he takes nothing fur granted, as this is the NHL. A player could be a pick today, tomorrow not so much.
I’m really poised to see how Ersson fares this season as the number one netminder. He knows what to expect, and Ersson now had a full offseason to prepare for the rigors ahead. Now the weight is on his shoulders, and the overall success of the Flyers season lies in Ersson’s hands, “I mean everyone’s excited,” Ersson said yesterday following practice.
Ersson is as calm, cool, and confident leading into the season opener tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. Let’s hope for a big game from him.
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