The Flyers took the ice at Flyers Training Center ahead of tomorrow night’s matchup with the Detroit Red Wings in South Philly. Matvei Michkov and friends skated for about an hour on a brisk Monday afternoon following a successful weekend on the road.
Two Flyers were unavailable for practice on Monday as Scott Laughton was away tending to a family matter, while Erik Johnson had a scheduled maintenance day. There was a new face in the Flyers locker room in Voorhees, New Jersey, to coincide with a morning roster transaction, alongside some additional discussion about the Flyers goaltending situation.
Ryan Poehling Placed on IR as Flyers Recall Rodrigo Abols
On Monday morning, forward Rodrigo Abols (pronounced Ah-bowls) was recalled from Lehigh Valley by Philadelphia as a partner transaction to Ryan Poehling being placed on injured reserve. Poehling was hurt over the weekend on a hit from New York Islanders forward Maxim Tsyplakov. New York’s rookie was suspended for three games by the NHL for his hit, which will cause him to miss the rematch with Philly later this week at Wells Fargo Center. Poehling did not play in the 3-1 Flyers win against New Jersey on Saturday.
Abols was one of the last remaining cuts from NHL training camp this season and may get the chance to play his first NHL game this week.
“I got the call yesterday morning, the Flyers winger told the circle of reports around him. “It’s one way to make an off day even better. It’s very inspiring. I’m looking forward to it (a possible NHL debut).“ Abols mentioned he was surprised to receive the call from Philadelphia with a contract offer over the summer but was glad he took the leap of faith to return to North America. “When I’m done with hockey… I’m glad at least I came here and be able to have a shot (at the NHL).”
Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella was informed that Abols was performing well for Lehigh Valley and fit the profile of the Flyers, who needed help down the middle after losing Poehling. “He’s a center, and I guess he’s been playing some pretty good hockey there,” Tortorella said. The 29-year-old forward has skated in 34 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season with 9 goals and 10 assists. The 2016 NHL draft pick has played 70 games at the AHL level with 16 goals and 26 points for 42 points. Abols’ 6-foot-4 frame is tied with Sean Couturier as the tallest forward on the roster, providing size/strength at a critical position.
Clarifying the Goalie Situation
Questions have surrounded the goaltending position in Philadelphia all season. Starting goalie Sam Ersson has dealt with injuries on the way to a 13-7-2 record, a 2.79 goals-against-average (GAA), and an 89% save percentage (SV%). On Monday, Tortorella confirmed Ivan Fedotov has “moved by” Aleksei Kolosov on the Flyers depth chart.
Fedotov is 4-5-3 this season with a 3.26 GAA and 88% SV%, which is an impressive turnaround given the start of his season. The 6-foot-7 Russian goalie struggled in October with a 0-3-0 record, allowing an average of 5 goals per game. In early December, Fedotov lost his backup role after a challenging first period against the Florida Panthers with two goals against seven shots.
Despite an 0-1-2 record in his three games this month, the stats — a 2.59 GAA and an 87% top rate – clearly show an improvement in Fedotov’s game. “It sometimes looks weird,” Tortorella said about Fedotov’s unorthodox style. “But the damn guy stopped the puck, right? He got kicked to the curb at number three. (He) shut his mouth and spent, I don’t know, how many weeks skating up and down the boards, hoping to get into the net if one of the other goalies needed a spell.” Tortorella hopes Fedotov’s NHL journey “continues to play out the proper way” leading to more success for the 28-year-old NHL rookie.
Kolosov, 23, entered the picture in early December following a call-up from the AHL. However, the Belarussian did not seize the backup position with his play. In 15 NHL games, Kolosov has a 4-8-1 record with a 3.45 GAA and an 87% save rate. Aleksei Kolosov’s status on the Flyers’ goalie rotation moving forward is an unsolved mystery, although he remains on Philadelphia’s NHL roster now. “There’s a lot of communication,” Philly’s bench boss said on Monday. “A lot of stuff going on with that.”
With the NHL trade deadline approaching in early March, every NHL roster spot becomes increasingly valuable. Philly will likely have to decide how to handle the three-headed goalie rotation before proceeding with its trade deadline plans.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
