Give Fedotov time? Kolosov ready? Flyers' plan in web already dealing with challenges

Give Fedotov time? Kolosov waiting? Flyers’ plan in net already facing challenges initially appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Two and a half weeks in the past, John Tortorella admitted the unknown with the Flyers’ goaltending state of affairs frightened him.

“It scares the crap out of me,” the head coach said.

He most likely fought these fears, even when just a bit, when the Flyers noticed Thursday evening’s sport get away from them in Seattle. Over a span of simply 2:55 minutes within the second interval, a 2-2 sport changed into a 5-2 gap for the Flyers. They entered the interval main by a objective and ended it trailing by three.

Ivan Fedotov, the Flyers’ backup goalie making solely his third profession NHL begin, was pulled at second intermission. The Flyers went on to lose, 6-4, finishing their season-opening road trip at 1-2-1.

And now we’ll see how affected person Tortorella and the Flyers are prepared to be with their 6-foot-7 netminder. Fedotov surrendered 10 targets mixed in his two begins on the journey. Figuring out the puck via site visitors gave the impression to be a problem. Some stoppable photographs, notably Thursday evening, snuck previous him.

But the 27-year-old has hardly experienced the NHL and the Flyers actually did not play good video games in entrance of him. It is early and two begins make for a small pattern dimension. The strain does look like on, although, when you think about that the Flyers want to find rest for Samuel Ersson and Tortorella had such little religion within the Flyers’ backup choices final 12 months.

From Jan. 18 to the top of the common season, Fedotov, Cal Petersen and Felix Sandstrom mixed to play in 11 video games (six begins). Ersson’s 32 appearances (31 begins) over that stretch have been tied with the Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the second most amongst all NHL goalies. Solely the Capitals’ Charlie Lindgren performed in additional video games (33).

“Once I overworked him final 12 months, it was crunch time on the finish,” Tortorella stated three weeks in the past. “And fairly actually — I have been very sincere about it — I do not suppose our different goalies have been enjoying nicely in any respect. I might have used another person if I had any kind of confidence at that time limit. Not saying now, as a result of it at all times finally ends up you clear your thoughts and the goalies get one other alternative.

“We will give Fedotov a while. Hopefully he steps up and goes from there. If that does not work out, we have got to reassess. Nevertheless it’s not going to be Sam Ersson on a regular basis.”

What provides to the strain on Fedotov and the Flyers’ decision-makers is Alexei Kolosov seemingly itching to play within the NHL. Regardless of variations in opinion this offseason, which bled into training camp, the Flyers and the 22-year-old prospect are trying to make it work right now. Kolosov is simply underway because the No. 1 with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley and him being loaned once more to the KHL, Russia’s high professional league, will not be off the desk.

“He believed that he wanted one other 12 months within the KHL,” basic supervisor Danny Briere stated 11 days in the past. “We informed him we did not actually agree with that, we needed to see him, we needed to see the place he was at in his growth. We did not see him this summer time at growth camp and never displaying at coaching camp put us in a tricky place. And I get it, from his standpoint, he thought he wanted one other 12 months or he thought he was prepared for the NHL. I am unsure the place he match between the 2.

“There’s nothing set in stone so far as the place he will be. Is he going to be in Lehigh the entire 12 months? Is he going to play some video games with the Flyers? You know the way it really works, there might be accidents, there might be modifications — it is one thing we’ll consider just about on a weekly foundation.”

The Flyers’ first week of the season is within the books and Tortorella’s nerves with the image in web cannot be comfortable.

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