Sergei Bobrovsky

The Flyers have made some major trades in recent years - dealing Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, among others - but a less talked-about move may come back to haunt them. When general manager Paul Holmgren sent backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus for three draft picks last June, not many eyebrows were raised. Bobrovsky had seen little time behind Ilya Bryzgalov. But with the strike-shortened season more than halfway over, Bobrovsky has emerged as the NHL's hottest goaltender.

Flyers Notes Sergei Bobrovsky is being a good soldier. After being the Flyers' primary goalie and having a very strong rookie season in 2010-11, Bobrovsky is now Ilya Bryzgalov 's understudy. There is a chance Bobrovsky will get his first start of the season Tuesday night in Ottawa. Coach Peter Laviolette , who used Bryzgalov in the first four games (3-0-1), said he wouldn't announce his decision until the morning skate. "I'm ready for every game," Bobrovsky said.

KEY STATS .897: Flyers' total save percentage as a team, regardless of which goaltender was in net (141 goals allowed on 1,371 shots). 78 percent: Shots faced for Ilya Bryzgalov this season (1,066 out of 1,371). .900: Bryzgalov's save percentage, ranking him 48th out of 57 goaltenders who played a minimum of 10 games during the shortened season. 4: Number of goaltenders to start a game with the Flyers this season -including Bryzgalov (40), Steve Mason (6), Brian Boucher (1)

Two years ago, the Flyers signed Ilya Bryzgalov and figured they had ended their l-o-o-o-o-n-g search for a shutdown goaltender. As it turns out, they already had an elite Russian goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky. They just didn't realize it. Bobrovsky, now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was named Wednesday as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the league's top goaltender. The Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and San Jose's Antti Niemi were the other finalists in voting by NHL general managers.

Ilya Bryzgalov, the wannabe cosmonaut who enjoys critiquing journalists in his spare time, cannot be blamed for the Flyers' failure to make the playoffs this season. The quirky Russian goalie was good, not great, and his overall numbers - a pedestrian 2.79 goals-against average and career-worst .900 save percentage - are somewhat misleading. Because of his team's poor defensive play, Bryzgalov faced an inordinate number of odd-man rushes and breakaways. Bryzgalov, who will turn 33 next month, was one of the league's true workhorses.

Former Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, put up better numbers this season than the other Vezina Trophy finalists, the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and San Jose's Antti Niemi. But will the general managers bypass Bobrovsky in their voting because his team did not make the playoffs? Here are the numbers:             Save    Goalie, team   Record   GAA   pct.   SO    Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus    21-11-6   2.

Sergei Bobrovsky will start in goal tonight in Newark, N.J., for the Flyers against the New Jersey Devils, the team announced. Ilya Bryzgalov has started the last 11 games, including posting 29 saves a 1-0 shootout win in Toronto on Saturday night. The Flyers are on a five-game winning streak. In the last four, Bryzgalov has stopped 128 of 130 shots, a .985 save percentage. He has two shutouts. Bobrovsky has not started since a Feb. 18 loss to Pittsburgh in which he allowed three goals on 17 shots.

PITTSBURGH - The Flyers have traded backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus for three draft picks. The Flyers confirmed they will receive Columbus' 45th and 117th picks this year and a fourth-rounder next year. Before the deal, the Flyers had no second-round picks in this year's draft. Bobrovsky, 23, had an impressive rookie season, but struggled in his sophomore year -- going 14-10-2 with an .899 save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average. He never seemed comfortable as Ilya Bryzgalov's backup.

Peter Laviolette hasn't named his primary playoff goalie, but if you read between the lines, the Flyers coach is giving the job to 22-year-old rookie Sergei Bobrovsky. Acknowledging Bobrovsky has no playoff experience, Laviolette said the Russian goalie's play in big regular-season games has been his training ground. "They're not the playoffs, but that's where we're at right now," Laviolette said after Monday's practice in Voorhees. "There have been lots of young goalies that have come in and performed well in the playoffs.

Former Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, put up better numbers this season than the other Vezina Trophy finalists, the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and San Jose's Antti Niemi. But will the general managers bypass Bobrovsky in their voting because his team did not make the playoffs? Here are the numbers:             Save    Goalie, team   Record   GAA   pct.   SO    Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus    21-11-6   2.

Two years ago, the Flyers signed Ilya Bryzgalov and figured they had ended their l-o-o-o-o-n-g search for a shutdown goaltender. As it turns out, they already had an elite Russian goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky. They just didn't realize it. Bobrovsky, now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was named Wednesday as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the league's top goaltender. The Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and San Jose's Antti Niemi were the other finalists in voting by NHL general managers.

KEY STATS .897: Flyers' total save percentage as a team, regardless of which goaltender was in net (141 goals allowed on 1,371 shots). 78 percent: Shots faced for Ilya Bryzgalov this season (1,066 out of 1,371). .900: Bryzgalov's save percentage, ranking him 48th out of 57 goaltenders who played a minimum of 10 games during the shortened season. 4: Number of goaltenders to start a game with the Flyers this season -including Bryzgalov (40), Steve Mason (6), Brian Boucher (1)

The Flyers are not in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, but 10 of their players and prospects will be playing in the IIHF World Championships, which start Saturday. In Saturday's first game, Jake Voracek, who led the Flyers with 22 goals this year, will help lead the Czech Republic against Belarus. Defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who played well in the latter stages of the Flyers' season, will compete for Sweden on Saturday, and prospect Marcel Noebels will play for Germany.

Ilya Bryzgalov, the wannabe cosmonaut who enjoys critiquing journalists in his spare time, cannot be blamed for the Flyers' failure to make the playoffs this season. The quirky Russian goalie was good, not great, and his overall numbers - a pedestrian 2.79 goals-against average and career-worst .900 save percentage - are somewhat misleading. Because of his team's poor defensive play, Bryzgalov faced an inordinate number of odd-man rushes and breakaways. Bryzgalov, who will turn 33 next month, was one of the league's true workhorses.

There are rumblings that the Flyers' front office is divided on whether to buy out the remaining seven years of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's contract after the season. If the recently acquired Steve Mason continues his impressive play down the stretch, he may make the decision easier. Mason was superb as he enabled the Flyers to hang on and defeat the New York Rangers, 4-2, and keep their oh-so-slim playoff hopes flickering Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The 6-foot-4 goalie made 38 saves, including 16 in the third period.

MONTREAL - Remember that flushing sound you heard last week, watching the Flyers' season swirl around the bowl and down the drain? The group responsible for pulling that toilet's handle was the Flyers' offense. It's one thing to watch bad hockey, it's another thing to watch bad hockey from a team that scores less than Tim Tebow. The Flyers have scored three goals in their last four games. Ask coach Peter Laviolette, captain Claude Giroux or leading scorer Jake Voracek and they will shrug, and with a blank look on their faces, offer the standard cliches.

CHICAGO - For all the history the Chicago Blackhawks created with their remarkable start this NHL season, it was a relative newcomer and former Flyer, goalie Ray Emery, who played a central role. It's also Emery, 15-1-0 with a 1.90 goals-against average, who is at the top of his game as the Blackhawks, in first place in the Western Conference, gird for the playoffs. On Tuesday, Emery made his third straight start, stopped 20 shots, and earned his third shutout of the season with a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Wild.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Was Steve Mason acquired to be the Flyers' goalie of the future or to be the guy to light a fuse under Ilya Bryzgalov? General manager Paul Holmgren can't say, so we'll speculate. From here, signs suggest the Flyers are leaning toward saying adios to the workhorse Bryzgalov after the season by using a compliance buyout, which is also known as a team's option to "amnesty" up to two players under the new collective bargaining agreement. Acquiring the 24-year-old Mason by sending Michael Leighton and a 2015 third-round pick to Columbus created a win-win situation, Holmgren hopes.

ILYA BRYZGALOV started his 20th straight game on Wednesday night against Montreal, something Peter Laviolette said he didn't have much choice about, given the Flyers' position in the standings. Well, now Laviolette has a choice. And so do the Flyers this summer in retaining Bryzgalov's rights. The Flyers acquired goaltender Steve Mason from Columbus before Wednesday's trade deadline, the same team they traded backup Sergei Bobrovsky to last summer. The Flyers were also reportedly in the hunt for Ottawa's Ben Bishop, who was dealt to Tampa Bay. Backup Michael Leighton was sent to the Blue Jackets along with a 2015 third-round pick.