When teams win games, coaches tend to roll out the same lineup during the streak. Why change things if they're going well? It's the same in the playoffs as it is in the regular season, maybe even more so. You will hardly see teams make dramatic changes to their lineup unless they're forced to do so, such as an injury.
But in the playoffs, almost everyone is playing with some type of ailment. It's a long season to get to the playoffs, and there isn't much time to rest and prepare for even harder games. So to get through the grind, many will take off practices or morning skates to keep their body prepared. The Flyers have done so with Owen Tippett, who has been banged up pretty frequently recently.
And now the Flyers are doing the same with Dan Vladar, who is currently a game-time decision for Saturday's potential series-clinching game. Vladar was involved in a collision with Bryan Rust during the third period of Game 3. Rust's knee jammed into Vladar's blocker, uncomfortably stretching his arm across his body.
Dan Vladar is in some discomfort following this play on the Penguins power play
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 23, 2026
He stayed in between the pipes for the Flyers afterwards pic.twitter.com/vCduzS0m10
"Another maintenance day for (Vladar). Two days off is gonna help him. That's basically it for him. We'll see how he is tomorrow," Rick Tocchet said Friday on Vladar's status.
Flyers shouldn't be afraid to turn to Sam Ersson
The Flyers, in different ways, have controlled the bulk of this series against the Penguins. That has allowed them to take a 3-0 series lead, giving them a chance to go for the sweep in their next game. With that, the Flyers have some leeway in what they can do regarding their goaltending. Obviously, you don't want to let a team back into a series, but it could be the best time to give Vladar more opportunity to rest.
It's not like Ersson's recent stretch of games hasn't been impressive either. Since the Olympic break, Ersson has gone 6-1-0, winning five straight starts and allowing only one goal apiece in three of the games. Counting those three, he only gave up two or fewer in five of his seven starts. He also played in relief in two games, giving up two goals on a combined 17 shots. Altogether, that accounted for a 1.99 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage to finish the season.
"I think I had a good finish, and it was well-needed. I knew I had to take a step up from how I was playing, just try to do my best to contribute. We knew every point during that stretch mattered. It was very important." Ersson said about his play toward the end of the year.
If this was the Ersson the Flyers saw for the first half of the season, there would be more cause for concern. But he has looked cool and collected at a time the team needed him most. The decision to go to Ersson at this time wouldn't be made out of fear or desperation. Rather, it would keep Vladar fresh and could give him even more time off if the Flyers were to finish the job in Game 4.
The Penguins are going to be a desperate team on Saturday. There is always a risk when making a change, especially in the net. But the Flyers' defensive structure has largely protected Vladar during the first three games and should do the same if Ersson is in the crease. They have allowed the second-fewest amount of shots on net (73) in the postseason, which is only one more than Boston. Their 21 high-danger shots against are the third-fewest.
Vladar has played a lot of hockey down the stretch and in the postseason. It seems like a rather straightforward decision to give him more time to heal and turn toward Ersson.
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