- Dan Vladar took a knock to his right hand in Game 3 after a crease collision with Bryan Rust
- The Flyers netminder sat out Thursday’s practice, but Rick Tocchet called it “more of a maintenance day”
- Read below for Tocchet’s full update and what it means for Saturday’s Game 4
The Flyers got a scare in Game 3, and they appear to be breathing easier.
Dan Vladar did not practice Thursday after taking a knock to his right hand late in Philadelphia’s 5-2 win over the Penguins, but head coach Rick Tocchet downplayed the absence and said the 28-year-old netminder “feels better.”
Vladar was hurt with about 13 minutes left in the third period when Bryan Rust cut through the crease on a Pittsburgh power play and drove a knee into the Flyers’ goaltender.
Vladar skated behind his own net hunched over and gripping his arm before trainer Tommy Alva attended to him. He stayed in the game and closed out the win.
Tocchet addressed Vladar’s status after Thursday’s session in Voorhees:
Philadelphia had two full days between games, so a scheduled rest day was already on the table. That blunts some of the alarm around him missing the ice, and nobody inside the room sounds panicked about Saturday.
Vladar has been the engine of this series. He owns a 1.33 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage through three games, and Wednesday marked Philadelphia’s first home playoff win in eight years. His regular season numbers (.906 save percentage, 2.42 GAA) already earned him the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP.
If Vladar cannot go, Samuel Ersson would draw in. The 26-year-old Swede was Philadelphia’s No. 1 for the last two seasons before Vladar took over, and his .870 save percentage was the lowest of any goalie with at least 25 starts this year. Ersson closed the year strong, though, going 6-1 with a 1.99 GAA in nine appearances after the Olympic break.
“I’m not really worried if he had to play. I really wouldn’t. He’s locked in,” Tocchet said of Ersson.
Here is the full Game 3 video recap:
Saturday’s Game 4 is set for 8 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with Philadelphia chasing a sweep after Trevor Zegras’s breakout Game 3. The Flyers are off Friday, so Tocchet said Vladar’s status should firm up at morning skate. For more on what was a chaotic Wednesday night in Philadelphia, see the NHL’s full Game 3 recap.
