VOORHEES, N.J – They say the measure of an elite goaltender is how he reacts to a tough loss.
Or, in the case of Flyers goalie Dan Vladar’s performance in last Monday’s 5-1 defeat by Pittsburgh, one below his standards.
Even after that effort, Vladar still stands in the NHL’s top 20 in both goals per game (18th, 2.59) and save percentage (19th, .906).
And he could get some redemption when the Flyers play host to the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche in an afternoon game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Coach Rick Tocchet likes the way the 27-year-old Vladar buckles down after not having one of his better games. The statistics back that up. Vladar has not had back-to-back losses all season and that helps account for his 10-5-1 record.
“He acts the same way after a bad game and he hasn’t had many of them,” Tocchet said after Saturday’s practice. “That’s what I love about him. He’s a consistent guy, even practice. He’s still talking, still working at this game. That’s how I measure guys.”
Vladar’s all-time high for games played in a season is 29 (with Calgary). He’s already at 16 and at this rate will set a new standard sometime before the Olympics in February.
“I just spend a little more time on recovery and stuff,” he said after Saturday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center. “And ‘Dilly’ (goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh) has been in the league for a long time, he’s given me some guidance. You don’t have to copy anyone else, just be yourself and get better at it.”
Taking all those numbers into consideration, has Vladar exceeded Tocchet’s preseason expectations?
“I know he’s put the work in,” Tocchet said. “Because I remember him in Calgary, even then I thought he was a good goalie. He looks quicker, in goalmouth scrambles he looks really big. I don’t see him over-pursuing stuff.
“How many times where he’s made the second save? That’s when you know a goalie is dialed in. He makes that initial, there’s a rebound or something, he’s in position for that rebound. Some goalies are all in on a shot and the rebound goes in. I’ve seen so many times this year he’s been in position for the second shot. So you know he’s put his work in.”
Perhaps even Vladar has surprised himself a bit by how well he’s played.
“I just try to take it week-by-week, day-by-day,” he said. “It’s the NHL, things happen fast here. You can be overwhelmed by the whole pressure thing. Just enjoy the 82 games, break down the season into two-week (segments). Then the time kind of flies, it’s crazy how fast it goes.”
NHL.com has made predictions about who will be on Team Czechia’s Olympic team at Milano-Cortina, Italy in February and Vladar is one of three goaltenders projected to be on the squad. The others are Jakub Dobes of the Montreal Canadiens and Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks.
Pretty remarkable considering Vladar underwent hip surgery in 2024.
When training camp opened in September, Vladar was viewed as a likely backup to Sam Ersson. But Vladar started on opening night and hasn’t looked back. Going into last Wednesday night’s game against Buffalo, Vladar’s 16 starts had doubled Ersson’s eight.
“First of all, I’ve gotten a lot of trust from my teammatess,” Vladar said. “And from the coaching staff. That helps a lot. I think the guys are doing a real good job in front of me. It makes my life a lot easier. I’m having a blast so far. I just hope as a team we keep doing the right things.”
Both the two goalies and the 18 or so players in front of them have had to learn a new system under Tocchet. So far that’s gone remarkably well considering the brief amount of time they’ve had to catch on.
After 26 games, a lot of the principles have begun to sink in. Now it just comes down to utlilizing them on a consistent basis.
>Short shots
Cam York (upper-body injury) is listed as questionable for the Colorado game. “Slight option for tomorrow,” is the way Tocchet put it. . .When Sean Couturier hits the ice vs. the Avalanche it will be his 900th NHL game. Also, Nick Seeler will be playing NHL game No. 400.
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