Before the season started, everyone had one concurring question mark. What kind of performance would they get between the pipes? Now, it may be early, but there is some promise showing with the net-minders; however, it has not come from whom anyone would have thought.
Dan Vladar has won the starter's net over the first few weeks of the year, and he is playing like he deserves it. He has been playing to the tune of a .934 save percentage and a 1.65 goals against average. Vladar may have earned the loss in his last game, but it was one that he kept the Flyers in until the end.
Vladar's career resurgence couldn't have come at a better time, because Sam Ersson has not looked great. A shootout win from Ersson against the Islanders was his first win of the year, and he made a few HUGE saves along the way. Hopefully, he can build on a start like this and continue to stack wins.
SAMMY SAVES. #NYIvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/svMfDTpoPM
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2025
The question that arises from the good start to the season for Vladar is, can he continue to play like this over the course of the entire season?
Over the last two seasons, Ersson has looked great at times, but seems to run out of steam come the end of the year. Vladar, on the other hand, has not had a season where he has played the bulk of the games for a team, with his most games played in a season being 30. He wanted to come to Philadelphia as he saw the opportunity to earn more starts.
I think that this is the perfect setup for the Flyers to get wins in the late stages of the season. Being able to trust both of your goalies to get you wins is a luxury that the Flyers have not had in a long time. The end of the regular season, although it is a very good time away, could be extremely different this time around for the Orange and Black.