Playing for a job, Ivan Fedotov stands tall against league-leading Jets

The Flyers backup goaltending situation has been in constant flux this season. Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have been given chances to take over the role. At times, both have played well. And at other times, both have looked lost in the net.

But Fedotov tends to perform best when he is out of the net for a long period. When he was thrust into action due to injuries to Sam Ersson and Kolosov in November, he earned his first career win against the Lightning. He would win three straight games and four of the next six. His final win was an impressive performance against the Rangers in which he only allowed one goal.

After being pulled in an early December game, Fedotov would not see action for a month. When he returned, he nearly beat the Maple Leafs in back-to-back games. But since that Rangers game, Fedotov had not been able to come out with the victory. His performances weren't all bad, but they weren't enough to get a win.

Fedotov would be put to his biggest test by facing the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. The Jets had won nine straight and were one of the NHL's most lethal offenses. So what did he do? He stopped 29 of 30 shots, shutting out the league's best for over 55 minutes after Mark Scheifele scored in the first period. Fedotov's .967 SV% was a career-best.

Many of the saves he made were of the highlight reel variety. Though sometimes, Fedotov tends to make the easy saves look like major ones. He waited out Kyle Connor on a shorthanded breakaway, causing the forward to miss. He kicked out the pads on shots by Nikolaj Ehlers and another opportunity from Connor.

One of his best came late in the third period as the Jets were on the power play. The Jets swung the puck around the zone, looking for an open lane. With the puck in the slot, Ehlers fired off a one-timer that was ticketed for the bottom left side of the net. Instead, he found Fedotov's glove hand.

Fedotov had to face another power play shortly after, but continued to stand tall. He didn't face much in the overtime period, but can thank Noah Cates for saving the game. With Fedotov sliding too far to his left, the right side of the net was wide open for Kyle Connor. Cates skated into the crease and threw his body in front of the puck to keep the game going.

Fedotov is likely to make a few more starts as the season winds down. Even with another year on his contract, it's not a guarantee that he would remain the backup next season. Kolosov is still waiting in the wings and Philadelphia may look at him again if Fedotov falters. He suited up as the backup, his first time dressing for a game in nearly two months. And with Cal Petersen healthy and Eetu Makiniemi not far behind, the log jam at both levels gets even tighter.

If Fedotov can put up more performances like he did against the Jets, he will continue to sit behind Ersson. It was the first win by a Flyers' backup since Dec. 12, a stretch of nine games. The Flyers will need to make some kind of decision on Kolosov soon. They cannot let him sit without action for months on end.

But for Fedotov, he continues to earn himself more of a look after what was likely his best performance of the season.