Flyers News & Rumors: Eklind, Playoff Odds, Tortorella

Behind those teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins have 84 points in 78 games while the Washington Capitals have 83 in 77. At this point, if none of these teams have above a .500 record down the stretch and the Flyers go 3-1-0 in their final four matches, they will be in the postseason as long as two of those wins come in regulation.

In terms of strength of schedule, Pittsburgh, New York, and Washington are all in the top-11 toughest in the entire league for the rest of the way. The Flyers sit at 17th, while the Red Wings have the easiest left at 23rd. If Philadelphia goes out and wins all four of their games, they’re probably in the postseason anyway since a few of these teams actually play each other. Still, it is notable that the Flyers could theoretically lose a game and be in the race.

MoneyPuck’s playoff model has them sitting at just 25.5 percent odds which is definitely not great, but the Islanders and Red Wings sit at 60.7 percent and 51.8 percent respectively. While the Flyers aren’t in a good spot, they are far from eliminated.

Tortorella Shares Some Thoughts on the Goaltending

After practice on April 8, Tortorella shared a few of his thoughts on the Flyers’ goaltending situation. Just looking at the numbers since the Flyers started their skid, they haven’t been great. Collectively, the team has had a .811 save percentage (SV%), a 4.40 goals-against average (GAA), and minus-14.7 goals saved above expected (GSAx). Considering the Flyers have averaged just 2.14 goals each game during that span, it’s no wonder why they haven’t won since March 23.

Why did Tortorella speak on the goaltending, though? Well, a major part of that is about Sam Ersson starting in 26 of the team’s last 32 games. If that pace stood over a full season, that would put the 24-year-old rookie between 66 and 67 starts. That’s way too much for any non-elite goaltender, let alone one who was meant to be the backup. But to Tortorella, he felt like he had no other option.

“It’s been a lot. And I made the decision that I’m going to live and die with [Ersson],” he said. “I did not have the confidence in [Felix Sandstrom, the former backup]. I made the decision that we’re going with [Ersson] — I think he deserved it,” Tortorella added.

While Tortorella’s openness on the subject is admirable, his viewpoint is one of the main reasons why the Flyers are where they are. Ersson is not the goaltender he was even just two months ago, and a lot of that has to do with how many games he has started. His body hasn’t been adequately prepared for it, and even Tortorella himself said he was only supposed to start anywhere from 18-22 contests in 2023-24. His regression was all but a guarantee.

It’s not quite do-or-die yet for the Flyers, but the slate on April 9 could give them new life or be their nail in the coffin. The Red Wings and Capitals face each other, while the Islanders take on the New York Rangers. It’s not technically a must-win versus the Canadiens, but it might as well be. Tortorella and Ersson might make one last-ditch effort toward making the postseason with a win, or there could be a rapid shift into offseason talk around a player like Eklind with a loss.