Not the news that the Flyers wanted to hear. Early into the first period, goaltender Sam Ersson was forced to leave the game.
It's uncertain what may have caused him to need to leave. Less than a minute before that, Ersson took a shot off the skate that knocked his blade off. He got it replaced and continued as usual.
Until he couldn't. After a conversation with head athletic trainer Tommy Alva, Ersson left the ice and would not return in the period. NBCSP's Ashlyn Sullivan was able to give a brief update after the period that Ersson would not come back. The team later confirmed the same.
Please see the following update from Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere:
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 2, 2024
Goaltender Samuel Ersson will not return to #BOSvsPHI today at @WellsFargoCtr. We hope to have more information after the game.
The Flyers later added after the game that it is a lower-body injury for Ersson.
Aleksei Kolosov came in to replace him. Sullivan also provided information that Ivan Fedotov is allowed to dress, but can only come in as the emergency goaltender if Kolosov suffers an injury as well.
Ersson had made eight saves before his departure, a few of them testers as Boston spent the majority of the first period in the Flyers' zone. The Bruins would score on Kolosov, though it was hardly his fault due to the bounce off the boards. Coming off two strong games, this is not an ideal time for Philadelphia to lose their starting goaltender.
Not that any time is good for Ersson to be out. The Flyers' backup situation is a precarious one as Ivan Fedotov has struggled in the first few appearances this season. And not much is known about what Kolosov can do as this is only his second game action in the league.
If Ersson is to miss an extended period of time, it is likely to be Kolosov who would get a majority of the starts in his place. It’s too early to tell what the Flyers may have in him, but there have been some reasons for optimism.
It may be a few days before we find out for sure how long Ersson could be out. With not much to go off of, it’s even hard to speculate what could’ve happened. All we can hope for is that it ends up just being a precaution and that he won’t miss much time.