Some say Aleksei Kolosov is the worst goalie on the Philadelphia Flyers, and others say he is the best. But what do the stats say?

The stats say the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Kolosov, 23, has a .867 save percentage in his 16 games this season, and only Arturs Silovs (.861) and Cayden Primeau (.836) are worse among NHL goalies with at least 10 games played.

Sam Ersson, the Flyers' starter, and Ivan Fedotov have not been much better with their identical .881 save percentages.

Based on these raw numbers, it's easy to see why Kolosov might be the "worst" Flyers goalie, but he's actually played as good or better than his counterparts, except in one area.

According to MoneyPuck, Kolosov actually leads the Flyers in low-danger save percentage on unblocked shots with .956. Fedotov (.954) and Ersson (.953) narrowly trail the Belarusian, but they still trail him.

As for medium-danger attempts, Kolosov is by far and away the Flyers' best, with his .900 medium-danger save percentage on unblocked shots blowing away that of Fedotov (.844) and Ersson (.835).

The one area Kolosov is severely lacking in, however, is the one that might count the most. That is, his ability to make the big save for the Flyers, or lack thereof.

The 23-year-old's save percentage on unblocked high-danger shots is just .574, which is significantly lower than Fedotov's .784 and Ersson's .785.

Further to that point, MoneyPuck projects Kolosov's high-danger save percentage on unblocked shots to be .686, while Fedotov and Ersson are projected to sit at .685 and .662, respectively.

In short, Fedotov and Ersson are coming up big for the Flyers more than they probably should, while the opposite is true of Kolosov.

With added context, this phenomenon is not necessarily unusual, either.

Despite his similar lack of NHL experience, Fedotov has had more time to become familiar with the NHL, his Flyers teammates, and the callouts his defensemen use to coordinate breakouts and plays behind the net.

Ersson has been playing in North America for the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms since 2022, including three seasons as a full-time starter between the two.

Kolosov does not have those advantages.

He's younger, less experienced as a pro player, speaks the least English, and is eight inches shorter than Fedotov and three inches shorter than Ersson. The Flyers' former third-round pick has to do more with less, and bouncing around between the AHL and NHL and sitting in the press box for prolonged periods of time has done him no favors, either.

It's impossible to make a concrete evaluation on a young goaltender in just one season, especially one as chaotic as this.

We can, however, deduct that there are designs of an NHL goalie within Kolosov, and his full potential will not be unlocked overnight.

It is up to Kolosov himself and the Flyers organization to coax that out.

Kolosov was rock-solid for the Flyers as recently as Wednesday night, stopping 20 of the first 22 shots he faced through the first 40 minutes against the New York Rangers.

Then, he allowed two poor goals to forwards Jonny Brodzinski and J.T. Miller, which allowed the Rangers to tie the game at 3-3, then take the lead at 4-3.

Based on the stats referenced above, we can safely say that it was uncharacteristic of Kolosov to allow two such goals, but it can happen to anyone.

The Flyers, of course, ultimately won 8-5, with Brad Shaw, Sean Couturier, and Tyson Foerster all praising the young goalie's efforts during and after the game.

Kolosov earned his first NHL win since Dec. 12, when he made 25 saves on 26 shots in a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Notably, this was the first time the Flyers won a game in which Kolosov posted a save percentage below .900.

The Flyers are 5-1-0 in all games where Kolosov has a save percentage of .900 or higher.

As long as the youngster continues to work and improve alongside his teammates, he can carve out a long and productive NHL career. This is proof.

Denver, Colo. - It's Fan Appreciation Night at Ball Arena! While fans celebrate the last home game before the postseason kicks off, it's business as usual for the Colorado Avalanche. 

With the Vancouver Canucks officially eliminated from playoff contention as of Wednesday night, the Avalanche look to hold onto their 3rd place position in the Central for the rest of the regular season. 

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL:

1. X - Winnipeg Jets - 78 GP - 110 points

2. X - Dallas Stars - 78 GP - 106 points

3. X - Colorado Avalanche - 79 GP - 100 points

PACIFIC:

1. X - Vegas Golden Knights - 78 GP - 103 points

2. X - Los Angeles Kings - 77 GP - 97 points

3. Edmonton Oilers - 78 GP - 95 points

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WILD CARD:

1. Minnesota Wild - 79 GP - 93 points

2. St. Louis Blues - 80 GP - 93 points

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Post-Morning Skate Roster Updates:

Happy Thursday, everyone! Updates at morning skate ahead of tonight’s game vs. the Vancouver Canucks:

🏒 Mackenzie Blackwood in the starter’s crease
🏒 Jonathan Drouin is skating in a red no-contact sweater
🏒 Necas and Girard both present and dressed to take contact
🏒 No… pic.twitter.com/lYiGbIrLDY

— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) April 10, 2025

Head Coach Jared Bednar spoke with the media following today's morning skate. It was a full skate; the only players missing were Nathan MacKinnon, Josh Manson, Ross Colton, Ryan Lindgren, and Charlie Coyle.

Of those players, the only one ready to go for tonight is Charlie Coyle. Bednar also said that both Martin Necas and Samuel Girard, who skated in full-contact uniforms, will be in the lineup tonight, as well.

Nathan MacKinnon is also apparently dealing with a "minor injury" and will not play tonight. Bednar even went as far as saying he may not play in either of the back-to-back games this weekend either for the sake of rest.

Ross Colton is still considered day-to-day.

Ryan Lindgren suffered an upper-body injury last game against the Vegas Golden Knights and will sit out tonight.

Jonathan Drouin skated this morning in a red no-contact and Bednar had a good update on him, saying he "looks like he'll play this weekend."

With all of the injuries and resting guys, the Avalanche recalled Chris Wagner from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) this morning. He played in Tuesday's match against the Golden Knights.

It’ll be #GoAvsGo Mackenzie Blackwood vs. #Canucks Kevin Lankinen tonight

— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) April 10, 2025

Mackenzie Blackwood occupied the starter's crease for the Avalanche this morning. Following Vancouver's morning skate, Head Coach Rick Tocchet said Kevin Lankinen will get the start for his group.

Where/How to Find the Game:

Puck drop: 7:08 PM Mountain Time

TV Broadcast: Altitude/Altitude+ (Colorado), KUSA/9News (Colorado), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), ESPN+ (out-of-market)

Radio Broadcast: Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 (Colorado), Sportsnet 650 (Vancouver)

Peter Laviolette confirmed that Gabe Perreault will be a healthy scratch for the New York Rangers on Thursday night against the New York Islanders. 

This marks the second consecutive game where Perreault won’t be in the Rangers’ lineup. 

The 19-year-old signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers on Mar. 31 and played three games before getting benched. 

Laviolette said that he’s had conversations with Perreault over the past couple of days and expressed that he still feels the young forward is getting a worthwhile experience just by being around an NHL environment. 

“Great,” Laviolette said about how Perreault has handled being scratched out of the lineup. “He's a young player being here, practicing at an NHL level, playing games at an NHl level, getting coached, he sees everything, and just conversations about the day-to-day stuff. So yeah, there are always conversations with young players.”

Perreault spent his first two games on a line with J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafrenière before getting dropped down to a bottom-six role. 

In his three games thus far, Perreault is averaging 13:31 minutes.

The Winnipeg Jets take on the Dallas Stars, looking to all but clinch their place atop the Central Division.

The Jets will be receiving reinforcements to battle the Stars, adding Neal Pionk and Nikolaj Ehlers back into their lineup. 

Pionk has been out since Mar. 11 with a lower-body injury. He's been slowly recovering, taking multiple practices with and without contact before finally deciding to play. He'll slide back onto the second pairing alongside Dylan Samberg, a pairing that has been dynamite all season long for the Jets.

Ehlers will also be returning, after missing the previous two games. He was hit by the puck twice against the Vegas Golden Knights and has been nursing the injury since. He was considered a game-time decision for those two games but did not play. Now feeling comfortable and ready, Ehlers will rejoin Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti on the second line. 

The Jets enter tonight's game with a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. They went 1-2-0 on the three-game road trip before returning home to defeat the St. Louis Blues.

The Stars enter tonight's game with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 but are losers of three consecutive games, two of which came in overtime. The Stars blew a three-goal lead with a minute remaining against the Vancouver Canucks before giving up the overtime winner to Kiefer Sherwood.

If the Jets win in regulation tonight, they'll build a six-point lead over the Stars with three games remaining, meaning they would need to win just one of their last three games or the Stars would have to lose one of their last three. A regulation loss brings the Stars within two points.

The goaltender matchup features two of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Connor Hellebuyck will look to improve on his .924 SV% and 2.02 GAA. Jake Oettinger will be searching for the 37th win of the season, bringing him to a tie with Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. 

Puck drop is at 7:00 PM CST at the American Airlines Center. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Jets stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Line Combinations: Jets at StarsThe 53-21-4 Winnipeg Jets have hit the ice in Dallas, where they will take on the rapidly climbing 50-22-6 Stars on Thursday evening. 

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has announced that former Nashville Predators forward Tommy Novak will be out for the rest of the season. 

Novak, 27, was traded by the Predators to the Penguins back on March 5 of this year. Before the move, the St. Paul, Minnesota native had 13 goals, 22 points, and a minus-5 rating in 52 games with the Predators this campaign. 

Since the trade, Novak has only played two games for the Penguins, with his last appearance on March 9 against the Minnesota Wild. The former Nashville forward has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since. 

Novak was selected by the Predators with the 85th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. In 201 games over four seasons with Nashville, he had 49 goals, 68 assists, and 117 points. 

Recent Predators News 

Nashville Predators Sign Goalie To Multi-Year ExtensionThe Nashville Predators have announced that they have signed goaltender Matt Murray to a two-year, two-way contract extension. At the NHL level, he will carry a $775,000 cap hit. Nashville Predators Send 2 Players Down To AHLThe Nashville Predators have announced that forward Kieffer Bellows and defenseman Spencer Stastney have been re-assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. 

The Buffalo Sabres have five games remaining this season, and begin their final road trip of the campaign against the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Thursday. The game marks an opportunity for the Sabres to get back to .500 for the first time since the start of their 13-game winless skid in late November, and also a chance for the club to reach a notable career achievement for head coach Lindy Ruff.

The club’s recent win streak has brought the 65-year-old bench boss to the precipice of the 900-career victory mark, and a win over Columbus would make Ruff only the fifth head coach in NHL history, joining former Sabres head coach Scotty Bowman (1,244 wins), Joel Quenneville (969), Paul Maurice (914) and Barry Trotz (914). Ruff compiled 328 wins during four seasons with the Dallas Stars and another 281 victories in almost four years in New Jersey, but more than two-thirds of his victories (606) have been with the Sabres over 16 seasons.

"That's a small milestone," Sabres winger Alex Tuch said jokingly after the win over Carolina on Tuesday. "That's pretty cool. He's been at it while and has had a lot of success in this league, so to be able to help him achieve that goal means the world to our group, so hopefully we get that next game."

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Ruff ranks fifth all-time in total wins (regular season and playoffs) with 970 and could join Bowman and Quenneville as the only coaches in NHL history with 1000 or more total wins sometime next season, but he is not focused on personal milestones, but in keeping the Sabres on a positive track to finish out the season.

"I could care less about 900, seriously," Ruff said. "There's only one thing: we want to win hockey games. That's all we want: consistently win games. It's not about me.....That is really the whole focus."

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

After a decade with the organization, it looks like Brock Boeser will not be re-signing with the Vancouver Canucks. In an article posted by Iain MacIntyre of "Sportsnet", Boeser admitted that it is unlikely that he will return to the Canucks for the 2025-26 season. The unrestricted free agent was drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in 2015 and has spent his entire NHL career with the organization. 

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In MacIntyre's article, Boeser was quoted as saying, "Honestly, it's unlikely at this point," he told us. "It sucks, it's unfortunate. I'm just trying to play good hockey, and then I'll worry about everything after that. We all know it's been a roller coaster of a year. There's been a lot of different things."

Boeser also revealed he hasn't spoken to his agent, Ben Hankinson, in a while, and was quoted as saying, "Yeah, I'm refusing to talk to Hank right now," he said. "I feel like I'm playing a lot better hockey recently, and I don't want to get distracted. That's one of the things I've learned: when there's distractions, I don't play my best hockey. The mental aspect of the game is so important. This year, there's been a lot of distractions."

While Boeser has struggled at times this season, he does lead the team with 25 goals and is one point shy of hitting 50 points for the third straight season. Over his 550 games with the organization, Boeser ranks eighth all-time in goals with 204, while his 433 points rank 12th. Boeser has also delievered for the Canucks in the playoffs, posting 11 goals and 23 points in 29 games.

Boeser will go down as one of the organization's top fan favourites. Since the article was posted, the fan base has expressed disappointment, as many hoped he would play his entire career in Vancouver. There are also many asking why the Canucks did not trade him at the deadline, as it would have netted Vancouver some assets.

Canucks fans will get three more opportunities to cheer on Boeser at Rogers Arena. Vancouver takes on the Minnesota Wild on March 12, the San Jose Sharks on March 14 and the Vegas Golden Knights on March 16. All three games should feature plenty of #6 jerseys in the crowd as fans cheer on one of the franchise's most dynamic goal-scorers for the last time.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.