After losing Ersson early, Flyers are eliminated by Bruins

After losing Ersson early, Flyers are shut out by Bruins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers lost their No. 1 goaltender and mini winning streak in a 3-0 blanking against the Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon.

Samuel Ersson left the first period 7:36 minutes in with a lower-body injury. Boston took a 1-0 lead just under six minutes later and John Tortorella’s club trailed for the remainder of the game.

The Flyers (4-7-1) enter having won consecutive games for the first time this season and three of their last four.

But losing Ersson as soon as they did felt like a terribly ominous sign for the day.

The Bruins (5-6-1) got revenge on the Flyers, who eliminated them 2-0 four days ago in Boston.

Jim Montgomery’s team had lost its previous two games by a combined score of 10-2.

• Ersson made eight saves before leaving. The Flyers could be in serious trouble if the 25-year-old misses an extended period. Their backups are two rookies with a combined five starts of NHL experience.

“Let’s face it, we have a goaltending situation,” Tortorella said over a week ago.

Aleksei Kolosov, a 22-year-old from Belarus, denied 20 of 22 shots in relief. The Flyers were slow to come back from the Bruins’ 2-0 goal in the second period. Justin Brazeau fired a shot off a feed from Brad Marchand.

Boston’s third goal was an empty-netter.

At the end of September it was uncertain whether Kolosov would report to training camp. Now he could be the man if Ersson needs time.

“He has a personality to his game,” Tortorella said of Kolosov. “He fights.”

Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo stopped all 20 of the Flyers’ shots.

In the second period, Morgan Frost was narrowly denied and Bobby Brink scored a strong goal. The Flyers couldn’t generate much in the third period.

The crime was a concern. The Flyers have scored four goals (one as an empty-netter) in their last three games and are coming in at 2.73 goals per game this season.

Tortorella pointed out the importance of Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster, two young wingers who have scored three goals between them so far. Last season, they combined to score 48 goals and both finished in the Flyers’ top four goal scorers.

“We’ve just had a hard time developing the attack, but if we develop some good chances we can finish,” Tortorella said. ‘This is where we are now. Tyson and Tip are two big boys for me. … Just to get them going, I think, will help us.” But they’re both fighting it at the same time.”

• Matvei Michkov, the NHL Rookie of the Month for October, went scoreless for the fourth straight game. More here about the 19-year-old’s early growing pains after a fast start.

“He wants to carry a team, he wants to be the guy, and that’s what we love about him,” Tortorella said. “He’s finding out what the National Hockey League is. There’s going to be some issues with him going into his first year in the league. But he made some good plays today, he made some nice plays today that turned into a attack. It just hasn’t converted into goals and we’re scoring consistently.”

Michkov and Sean Couturier were each minus-3 against the Bruins. Travis Konecny ​​was a minus-2.

“I think Coots worked his way into the middle of the ice,” Tortorella said. “But other than that one play, it just hasn’t developed into an onslaught of offense.”

• Before the game, the Flyers honored the late Jay Greenberg, a Hockey Hall of Fame journalist and author who passed away on August 12, 2021. He was 71 years old.

The team held a dedication in the downstairs media room and unveiled the Jay Greenberg Press Row photo collage in the balcony level press box.

President of hockey operations Keith Jones and general manager Danny Briere attended the dedication.

• The Flyers open a three-game road trip on Tuesday when they visit the Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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