The question at the end of many The Lone Ranger The episodes as he walked away were: “Who was that masked man? For the Flyers, the question is more: “Who East this masked man?

For what? As coach John Tortorella said Friday: “Let’s be real, we have a goaltending situation. »

While he wouldn’t allude to any specific goalkeeper, it’s fair to say the situation doesn’t revolve around Sam Ersson. Despite his poor numbers, which are more reflective of the guys in front of him, Ersson has been one of the few bright spots this early in the season.

The situation concerns the save point. Ivan Fedotov, 27, has yet to find his place in the NHL with a 5.35 GAA and .817 save percentage in three starts. And yes, some of his numbers are because the Flyers struggled to get out of goal as well. But the 6-foot-8 goalkeeper didn’t look comfortable, with several questionable goals coming off.

On Monday, before the Flyers’ home-and-home series against the Washington Capitals, when asked about Fedotov and whether he was sure he could go, Tortorella said, “I don’t know.”

The bench coach was noncommittal at that time that the Russian goalkeeper would start Game 2, saying he was simply worried about Tuesday’s opener. Fedotov started the game for Washington and, although he struggled early, he kept the Flyers in the game before two empty nets sealed the Capitals’ 6-3 victory.

» LEARN MORE: Sean Couturier’s hat trick helps Flyers beat Minnesota for first home win of season

But things have changed since then. With the salary cap opening up after Jett Luchanko was sent down to juniors and Cam York was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, the Flyers recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Saturday night.

Kolosov is considered one of the keepers of the team’s future – and the future could be now. As their third straight game of the season concludes Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center against the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m., NBCSP), the question now is: Who will be the masked man? Will it be the 22-year-old Belarusian who makes his NHL debut?

The only thing we can count on is that it won’t be Ersson between the posts. Tortorella has spoken ad nauseam about not overloading the goaltender like he did at the end of last season. And although it’s early in the season, Ersson has already started five of the first eight games and came in relief in another. He pulled the string in Saturday night’s 7-5 win over the Minnesota Wild, helping the Flyers win a six-game set. losing streak and winning its first at home.

Ersson and the Flyers also notched their second win of the season and, ignoring the numbers, the Swedish goalie took the top spot and ran with it. In addition to two wins, he has a 3.56 goals-against average and a .872 save percentage — not great — but he’s kept games closer than the scores indicate, including a loss in overtime against last year’s Stanley Cup finalists, the Edmonton Oilers.

Kolosov brings a new element to the camp. After finally reporting to training camp, more than a week late, he showed an athletic style that could be a solid complement to the tactician that Ersson is. In two games – a total of 57 minutes and 59 seconds – Kolosov posted a 4.14 GAA and .810 save percentage; Game 2 was a farm team clash for the Flyers and New Jersey Devils, with their big club in Europe to start the season.

This season with the Phantoms, Kolosov is 1-2-1 with a 3.29 GAA and .875 save percentage. The only positive in Kolosov’s favor is that his NHL indoctrination could come against a Canadiens team that has yet to win a road game and is at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. The Flyers, who are also at the bottom of the Metropolitan division, also had more time to rest. They played Saturday at home and Montreal beat the St. Louis Blues, 5-2, in Quebec before flying south.

Hathaway fined

The NHL Department of Player Safety fined Garnet Hathaway $5,000, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for elbowing Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek on Saturday . The incident occurred late in the second period and Hathaway was assessed a minor penalty for roughing. Eriksson Ek broke his nose earlier this month.

A fiery attacker, Hathaway was also involved in a scrum with just over two minutes remaining. The Flyers were leading 6-5 when his stick tangled with Mats Zuccarello. Scott Laughton and Zuccarello then took shots at each other before everyone got involved. Hathaway grabbed Eriksson Ek and was called for hooking Zuccarello while the Wild forward got a minor for roughing Laughton.

Marcus Foligno called it “(expletive)” that Zuccarello went to the box alone, although Hathaway was also awarded a penalty. In a follow-up question, he was asked if Hathaway shot Eriksson Ek and made a tough play and responded, “That’s how this guy plays.” This is how he needs to stay relevant in this league.

Hathaway has drawn four penalties this year, fifth-most (technically 23rd) in the NHL, with Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins topping the list with nine. The Flyers forward is tied with several players, including Travis Konecny, for second in the NHL in penalties called (seven).

Breakaways

The team also called up Emil Andrae to give them a seventh defender, and he could make his season debut on Sunday. The defenseman broke camp with the Flyers last season and played in four games before being sent to Lehigh Valley. He was recalled this season when Nick Seeler was placed on injured reserve on October 11, but did not appear in any games.