Injuries to top goalies could put Sweden in a tough spot at 4 Nations Face-Off

Several outlets reported this week that Philadelphia Flyers’ goalie Sam Ersson is expected to replace New Jersey Devils’ netminder Jacob Markstrom on Sweden’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster, as Markstrom is dealing with a sprained knee that will sideline him for four-to-six weeks.

The news is devastating for Sweden, as Markstrom was expected to compete for the starting job in the tournament in February. The Minnesota Wild’s Filip Gustavsson is now the presumed No. 1 starter, as the Ottawa Senators’ Linus Ullmark is still dealing with an injury that’s sidelined him since Dec. 22.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss Sweden’s goaltending situation and what to expect leading up to the first game in Montreal next month.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Now with no Jacob Markstrom, they do still have Filip Gustavsson from the Minnesota Wild who, like Markstrom, is putting together the type of season that will see him land on some Vezina Trophy ballots, but when you look at the other goalies that are options for Sweden, things kind of fall off in a hurry.

Frank Seravalli: It looks like Sam Ersson is going to be the No. 3 goalie, and that highlights your point, which is that the depth isn’t there for Sweden. Ersson has struggled at times this year, mightily. So who are they going to go with? Marcus Hogberg? They’ll go with Ersson.

If anything, it puts significant pressure on Gustavsson to be the guy to carry the ball. It’s not an incredibly long tournament, we’re talking about four games. Can Gustavsson carry the ball for four games? He can, but if he goes down with injury, then you’re putting the Ottawa Senators and Linus Ullmark in a really uncomfortable spot, as he may not be seeing actions before the 4 Nations Face-Off.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…