VOORHEES, N.J. — Samuel Ersson joined the Flyers in practice Monday for the first time since Nov. 13, when he tweaked a lower-body injury that has kept him out the last nine games.
The Flyers have two more days before their next game. It looks like Thursday's matchup with the Panthers at home is a possibility for Ersson's return (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
"We'll see," the goaltender said with a smile.
How'd he feel in practice?
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"Good," Ersson said. "Body's feeling good. Mentally, just getting back there, it's fun to be back."
The team's No. 1 goalie was seen skating a couple of mornings at the Wells Fargo Center before afternoon games.
"I've been skating here for a little bit, just trying to ramp it up as we go," Ersson said. "I've been taking my time, listening to the body, really making sure I'm at where I need to be to be able to go here."
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Starting Thursday, the Flyers have three games in four days. The club loaned defenseman Helge Grans back to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, which gives it a roster spot for when Ersson is eventually activated off injured reserve.
Prior to this nine-game absence, Ersson was excellent in his last five appearances, going 3-0-1 with a 1.63 goals-against average, .940 save percentage and one shutout. On the season, he's 5-2-2 with a 2.70 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.
"You have to remind yourself, I know how to play games, it's not going to be any different coming back," the 25-year-old said. "It might be a good thing, too, it'll be a challenge for me. But those are the challenges you kind of want to go ahead and embrace."
The Flyers have gotten reliable starts from rookie backups Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. In Ersson's stead over the last nine games, Fedotov is 3-1-1 with a 2.91 goals-against average and .901 save percentage, while Kolosov has gone 3-1-0 with a 2.25 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
"We've got to keep evaluating," head coach John Tortorella said. "That position isn't a 10-, 15-, 20-game type of situation and think we've got it figured out. That's a process of trying to figure out what your tandem's going to be. It's not ideal to have three around all the time. I think eventually we're going to have to figure this out, depending on health, depending on if Sam comes back.
"Sam is our No. 1 guy. We've got to figure out what happens after that as we push through here. I think Koly and Feds have really stepped in where it was worrisome when we lost Sam. But we still need to see more as we play more and more games along the way here to really judge what a goalie is."
Ersson has been impressed by Fedotov and Kolosov.
"It's what it's all about, stepping up when you need to," he said. "You know there will come your moments when you need to be the guy who's stepping up. And I think they've both done that in a big way."
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