Flyers goalie Dan Vladař remains uncertain for Game 4 vs. Penguins
Vladař has been superb against the Penguins, but he appeared to hurt his hand or arm in Game 3.
Friday was a well-earned off day for the Flyers, but a dark cloud was still creeping into the picture regarding the status of No. 1 goalie Dan Vladař.
“It’s another maintenance day for him,” coach Rick Tocchet said Friday via Zoom. “Two days off is going to help him. ... We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow” isn’t just another day. On Saturday, the Flyers will try to close out the Pittsburgh Penguins in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. It would be the organization’s first series clincher since the 2020 bubble, and the first in front of fans since beating these same Penguins in Game 6 at home in 2012.
The hometown team holds a three games to none lead. The Flyers were back on the ice for practice Thursday in Voorhees, without Vladař, defenseman Cam York, and forward Owen Tippett.
Tippett has been banged up for quite some time and has been in and out of practices recently, while Tocchet revealed Tuesday that York took “a shot to the ribs.” Both played in Wednesday’s Game 3, with Tippett scoring an empty-netter to seal the 5-2 victory, and Tocchet said the next day that both had a maintenance day.
The question is Vladař. In the third period, he took a knee to the hand or arm from Bryan Rust as the Penguins forward tried to cut across the crease during a power play. Vladař immediately appeared to be in pain after losing his blocker and was seen flexing his hand while being checked by the Flyers’ head athletic trainer, Tommy Alva. But he stayed in the game.
Signed as a free agent on July 1, Vladař has been the Flyers’ mainstay in net this season. He went 29-14-7 with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage across 52 games in the regular season. Twelve of those wins came during the Flyers’ post-Olympic push, when he posted a 2.34 GAA and a .908 save percentage.
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In the postseason, Vladař has been stellar with a 1.33 GAA, a .946 save percentage, and his first postseason shutout in Game 2.
If he cannot go Saturday in Game 4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena (8 p.m., NBCSP, TBS, truTV, HBO Max), Sam Ersson would take the net and make his Stanley Cup playoff debut. Ersson had an up-and-down season but turned things around post-Olympics as well, going 6-1-0 with a 1.99 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot with my game,” Ersson said. “Obviously, it helps, stringing wins together, makes you feel better and better about your game. So obviously, it helps a little bit.
“I knew I had to take a step up from how I was playing,” he said. “Trying to do my best to kind of contribute, and we knew every point during that stretch mattered, right? It was very important.”
Tocchet has been impressed by Ersson’s mental and physical game since the Olympic break and has confidence in his netminder.
“I’ll tell you, the Montreal game, going in there, we have half of Lehigh,” Tocchet said of the season finale that saw several players from the American Hockey League skate, which the Flyers won, 4-2.
“Him going in, people were thinking we were throwing him to the wolves. He was really good. So, I’m not really worried if he had to play, I really wouldn’t. He’s locked in, even today in practice. If his number’s called, he’ll be ready to go.”
Flyers win series 4-2
Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 | Sielski: Kids stand tall
Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins 0 | Sielski: Stealing Pens' will
Game 3: Flyers 5, Penguins 2 | Sielski: Shades of glory days
Game 4: Penguins 4, Flyers 2 | Sielski: New test awaits
Game 5: Penguins 3, Flyers 2 | Hayes: Now what?
Game 6: Flyers 1, Penguins 0 (OT) | Sielski: Exceeding expectations