Saturday afternoon wasn’t kind to the Flyers in numerous ways.
Coming in with two straight wins, Philadelphia was looking to make it a nice three-game winning streak against the Bruins. That wouldn’t be the case.
It was all Boston for most of the game as they came away with a 3-0 win, repaying the shutout favor the Flyers dealt them a few days ago.
The Bruins first goal came off a broken play. Off a missed shot that hit the boards, Matthew Poitras picked up the puck and shot it toward the net. It went off the pads of Aleksei Kolosov and into the net.
The second goal was more of a traditional play with Brad Marchand drawing the attention of the defense. His pass from behind the net went to Justin Brazeau, who had just come onto the ice. His one-timer was enough to beat Kolosov for the 2-0 lead.
Boston finished this one off with an empty netter. Both of the above goals came directly after the Flyers failed to capitalize on their high-danger chances.
But it wasn’t just the game that the Flyers lost. They may have lost something even bigger than than.
Sam Ersson suffers lower-body injury
Ersson lasted only 7:36 against the Bruins and it wasn’t because of his play. He had stopped all eight shots that he faced, including one that caused a brief stoppage when his skate blade was taken off by the puck.
It looked like all was well and that it was just an equipment issue. But soon after, Ersson continued to show discomfort and had some discussions with the Flyers’ head athletic trainer. He would then leave the game and not return.
Uh oh. Sam Ersson heads down the tunnel and Alexei Kolosov is in net.
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) November 2, 2024
He had a skate blade issue earlier, but it's unclear why he's gone. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/MTcCW6vUlY
The only update the team was able to provide gave the detail that whatever was ailing Ersson had to do with his lower-body. Aleksei Kolosov came in to replace him, stopping 20 of the 22 shots he faced. The eventual game-winning goal came less than six minutes after Ersson left.
If he is to miss any extended period of time, it’s not ideal for the Flyers. Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov have a combined eight games of NHL experience. Neither has won a game at this level.
The Flyers could look into calling up Cal Petersen, but would need to find a way to lose some cap to fit him. It’s more likely the team will ride with Kolosov and Fedotov.
The schedule won’t get any easier for the Flyers as they’ll now hit the road for three games. Their first opponent will be the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.