If Vladar is unavailable, Samuel Ersson likely would start. Ersson had an .870 save percentage in 33 games (29 starts) during the regular season, but finished the season strong, going 6-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in nine games (seven starts) following the Olympic break.
If Ersson plays, he would be the 11th Flyers player to make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut during the series.
"I feel like I'm in a good spot with my game," Ersson said Thursday. "Obviously it helps building ... stringing some wins together. Makes you feel better and better about your game. So obviously it helps a little bit."
Tocchet is no stranger to playoff goaltending issues. The last time he coached in the postseason with the Vancouver Canucks in 2024, he started three goalies in the first four games of the Western Conference First Round against the Nashville Predators after Thatcher Demko sustained an undisclosed injury during Game 1 and Casey DeSmith was lost to a lower-body injury after starting Games 2 and 3. Arturs Silovs, now the Penguins backup, started the final three games of that series, which the Canucks won in six games.
Tocchet said he believes the system and structure the Canucks played with then, and the Flyers play with now, would make any goaltending change a non-issue.
"His mental and physical game since the Winter Olympics has been outstanding," Tocchet said of Ersson. "I don't even think he's had a bad start. ... I'm not really worried if he had to play. He's locked in. Even in practice. If his number is called, he'll be ready to go.
"He knows our system, and if you watch him play, I think he's looked bigger in net, doesn't move around as much post to post. ... He looks a lot calmer. And maybe the system and him talking to the defense has really calmed his game down. He just seems a lot more confident, even in practice. He looks bigger in net in practice than he did before."
