The Daily: Flyers Change Doesn’t Help Red Wings; NHL Trade Talk

Samuel Ersson is the new temporary Philadelphia Flyers No. 1 goalie. He likely will start in goal when they face the Detroit Red Wings Thursday at Little Caesars Arena. This isn’t a break for the Red Wings because when they saw Ersson on Dec. 16 he posted 33 saves to beat Detroit 1-0.

Ersson’s promotion comes because Carter Hart asked and received a leave of absence to take care of personal matters.

“Sam’s playing well. I’m totally confident in Sam,” coach John Tortorella said after Tuesday’s loss.

The Red Wings certainly respect Errson.

Six days after Ersson blanked Detroit, the Red Wings beat Hart 7-6 in a shootout win.

This is all important because the Red Wings are looking to make amends Thursday after an inconsistent performance in a 5-4 loss Tuesday to the Dallas Stars. David Perron said when a team scores three power play goals they expect to win. The Red Wings didn’t.

Philadelphia and Detroit could easily end up competing for a wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Samuel Ersson has been very good for the @NHLFlyers this season.

Should he be the team's starting goaltender moving forward? #LetsGoFlyers@JamieHersch | @KevinWeekes | #NHLNShowcase pic.twitter.com/qBidctJY68

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 21, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has been a welcome addition to the team’s offense, particularly the power play. But his defensive play  needs some work. He’s -20 on a team that has a +10 goal-differential. Bob Duff looks at Gostisbehere’s mixed results in his Red Wings Notebook.
• The Red Wings are totally embracing the idea of being in a playoff race. Michael Rasmussen says he checks the standings daily.
• Paywall story: Daniel Sprong is leading the NHL’s bottom six forward group in points per minute played.

Red Wings Next Game

Coach Derek Lalonde made it clear that he believes the Red Wings’ Thursday match-up against the Philadelphia Flyers has become critical. This is the third game of a five-game home stand. Detroit is coming off disappointing inconsistency in a 5-4 loss to Dallas Thursday.

“Good teams find a way to bounce back and that’ll be our challenge,” Lalonde said. “In reality, we’re set up at home for five games going into the all-star break. We play with five-game segments at times. If we can get three of those five – obviously we’d like to get more – but we’re sitting here 1-1. That’s a really big game for us, an important game on Thursday.”

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Should the Boston Bruins take a run at acquiring Ottawa Senators defenseman Jakub Chychrun? Joe Murphy examines the possibility.

Buffalo: BHN’s Jason Moser called it the Buffalo Sabres hatching an “ugly duckling.” He was talking about the team’s 4-2 loss to the lowly Anaheim Ducks.

Calgary: The Vancouver Canucks reportedly are interested in trading for Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames. Trevor Neuberg explores what a deal with Vancouver could look like.

Chicago: Prospect Gavin Hayes is on pace to score 40+ goals this season in the CHL. Nate Brown looks at where he fits in the Chicago Blackhawks‘ future.

Montreal: Marc Dumont looks at Sean Monahan’s trade value to the Montreal Canadiens. 

Pittsburgh: Should the Pittsburgh Penguins patch it up or blow it up? Dave Molinari weighs in on that question.

Vegas: Goalie Adin Hill was sharp in his return from injury, posting a 3-2 win against the New York Islanders. Vegas Golden Knights.