The Senators need a lot more from Samuel Ersson

So far this season, the Ottawa Senators have only had two losses when goalie Samuel Ersson has started. It’s been incredibly unfortunate because, in both games, the Senators have looked tired and unprepared. He’s also faced the challenge of playing with some of Ottawa’s worst lineups, with last night’s being the weakest of the season because the team had to deploy three rookie defenders. That's where many of the excuses end for Ersson's play so far this season

Ersson has inspired little confidence in turning to him when Linus Ullmark needs a break; he has a 5.26 GAA and an .829 SV%. Many of last night’s goals by the St. Louis Blues weren’t his fault, but some were, and that’s when you need him to lock things down and stop the bleeding. A perfect example of a goal that sinks the ship is the fourth goal against. He was positioned in the RVH, with one knee down against the post to seal it, when a shot went through him. Typically, those shots rarely go in, but on a night like last night, he needed to make that stop.

His game after that was sloppy and indicative of a player who had lost his confidence and was trying anything to succeed. It’s understandable: being a goalie is the most isolating position in sports. Yet, when the team lets you down in front of you, the goalie has to right the ship, as Ullmark has routinely done. Multiple goals last night were scored on odd-man rushes and power plays, during which the Blues used the Senators’ lack of cohesion against them; the result was seven goals against.

The same thing happened against the Detroit Red Wings; when the first goal was poorly played by him, he was unable to settle into the game, resulting in poor rebound control and bad reads. Even in relief against the Boston Bruins, Ersson's decision-making and poor play directly led to the goal that broke the shutout.

Ersson isn’t yet in jeopardy of losing his backup position; however, another outing like this will have goaltender Jonas Johansson ready to take over backup duties while Ersson works on his game or is put on waivers. Ersson needs to find a way to make the tougher saves when the Senators are on their heels while also finding a way to make the easier saves too, to not deflate the team.

The Senators’ season last year was almost sunk right from the jump due to bad goaltending; it felt like none of the goalies they used could put together a good game. So far this year, Ullmark has looked incredible in his starts and has won the Senators the majority of their games, but general manager Steve Staios may want to err on the side of caution.

There were many questions and criticisms surrounding the acquisition of Ersson, and the subsequent contract he was given was also puzzling. Meanwhile, the Senators have already lost a potential goalie of the future, Leevi Merilainen, to waivers, and he has found a groove with the Vancouver Canucks.

Two things can be true about this situation: at some point, the Senators need Ersson to give them a quality start, and the team also needs to play drastically better in front of him. But Ersson is only in control of himself, and he needs to be so much better than he has been. What will most likely happen in Ersson’s next start is that the Senators will give him the best chance to succeed, potentially by starting him against his old team, the Philadelphia Flyers. That is contingent, though, on Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub being back to help stabilize the Senators’ defensive play. The clock is already ticking on Ersson, and let’s hope some added pressure will turn him into a diamond.

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