Rookies goalies Ersson, Daws likely to start Flyers-Devils matchup at Stadium Series

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nico Daws was rehabilitating from offseason hip surgery when the season began for the New Jersey Devils, while Samuel Ersson was fighting for any playing time with the Philadelphia Flyers.

But the two rookie goalies likely will be starting for their teams in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, TVAS-D, SN1).

Daws had surgery in June to repair a torn labrum in each hip. He didn't play until Dec. 8 with Utica of the American Hockey League. The Devils called him up Dec. 27, and he made his NHL season debut Dec. 29.

"Obviously coming out of rehab, I was just kind of focusing on my game," Daws said Friday. "When I got called up, I kind of didn't even really think about this, and now we're here. It's awesome.

"Obviously it's not 100 percent. It's not going to be 100 percent right away, but if this isn't 100 percent I'm excited to see it at 100 percent. I feel really good."

Daws has started the past three games, going 2-1-0 and allowing five goals on 89 shots (.944 save percentage). That the games came in a span of three days was another sign that his hips were in good shape.

"Obviously it's been a busy schedule this past week and I was interested to see how my body would react,” he said, “and it feels really good."

Ersson also is feeling good about his game. He started three of Philadelphia's first 10 games, with Carter Hart getting the bulk of the playing time. But with Hart unlikely to play again this season after taking an indefinite leave of absence Jan. 23, Ersson has inherited the No. 1 role.

"You want to play as much as you can," Ersson said. "Last year I played a lot down in Lehigh [Valley of the American Hockey League] and did some [NHL] games as well. It's something you want to do, you want to see as much game action as you can. That's the most fun part about the job."

Ersson will have some extra motivation Saturday, with his parents, Hans and Lena, flying in from Sweden to see him play.

"That's also something that means a lot for me, just to have them be able to be here and enjoy this moment with me," he said.

There have been bumps in the road, but Ersson has earned the trust of his teammates and coaches. He's 15-9-4 with a 2.55 goals-against average, .900 save percentage and three shutouts in 29 games (27 starts) this season.

More than the numbers, however, is the confidence the Flyers feel when the 24-year-old is in net. As a recent example, Ersson allowed Auston Matthews' natural hat trick that put the Flyers down 3-1 after two periods against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, but he stopped all eight shots he faced in the third as Philadelphia battled back to tie the game and gain a point in the standings before losing 4-3 in overtime.

"It doesn't really matter the time of game or the score of the game," Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim said. "We feel like he's the same player regardless of the situation, just even-keeled. I think that's a really good quality to have as a goalie. You can't let things affect your game, and he does a great job of that."

Philadelphia coach John Tortorella said Ersson's mental approach to the game is his best quality.

"I always talk about Sam and it's mental aptitude, his mental toughness that continues to show," Tortorella said.

Daws also believes his mental approach is what's allowed him to string together good play consistently, especially now that his hips are feeling good.

"I think the biggest thing for me is the mental aspect of the game," he said. "Not to say that's easy, but you can go out and have a good game one night, but it's continuing to do it on a consistent basis, which is hard. It's hard physically, but it's harder mentally and that took me a little bit to figure that out. I think my mental game is in a good spot right now."

And much like Ersson, Daws has earned the confidence of his teammates and coaches. The 23-year-old is 5-6-0 but has a 2.93 GAA and .909 save percentage in 11 games.

"What he was suffering from was probably hampering his game," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "It's been a long road back to get to that point. The team went through a process to help him get to where we thought he'd be healthy enough to contribute, to go down, play in the minors and find his way again, and I think he has. We thought a lot of him before, but I think the injuries set him back. Now he's in a good place to keep moving forward as a young goaltender."

Ersson and Daws would be the second and third rookie goalies to start an outdoor game. Joey Daccord made 35 saves for the Seattle Kraken in a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2024 NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1.

Daccord began the season as Seattle's third goalie, behind Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger, but he's Seattle's No. 1 now.

Ersson and Daws could use the Stadium Series as a similar springboard as starters who not long ago would have been unlikely to play such a role.

"I didn't think I'd play it,” Ersson said of this game, “but now I get to and I'll definitely enjoy it to the most."