Ivan Fedotov starting in goal for the Flyers after a month on the bench

TORONTO ― On Dec. 5, Ivan Fedotov started against the Florida Panthers and allowed two goals on seven shots in the first 20 minutes.

He hasn’t played a minute in the NHL since.

But with Sam Ersson out with a lower-body injury for the third time this season, Fedotov will get the start in net against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

“It’s a [heck] of a spot that we’re putting him in and he’s handled himself really well,” coach John Tortorella said. “He’s practiced well. I probably don’t take [Aleksei Kolosov] out the last game and put him in because I was concerned just [that] he hasn’t had a lot of practice time.”

The Flyers practiced Saturday in Etobicoke, Ontario, at the Maple Leafs' practice facility with Kolosov and Fedotov in the nets. Since getting pulled against the Panthers, Fedotov has been the No. 3 goalie on the depth chart and, according to a Tortorella mandate, did not receive a lot of reps in practice the last month because he wanted to “make sure those other two were ready.”

Now the Russian netminder is being thrown into the fire against Auston Mathews and a Leafs team ranked 12th in goals per game (3.15). The Flyers are not far behind, tied at 14th (3.03).

Although the Orange and Black have the second-worst goals-against average (3.56) since the start of the season, they’ve vastly improved since the holiday break, allowing just 2.75 per game. They are tied for eighth in the NHL and the Leafs, who sit atop the Atlantic Division, are seventh since Christmas, averaging 2.60 goals against.

“[Fedotov] has played a lot of pro games, so we trust him and we know he’s going to play his best,” forward Joel Farabee said. “I think for us, we’ve got to stick to what we do best and defend from our zone out. And I think our offense has been clicking, and we’ve just got to keep maybe some of the bad balances away but, no, we trust Feddy and we know he’s going to do a good job.”

It probably doesn’t hurt that playing after a long layoff has officially become Fedotov’s thing.

Last season, he made his NHL debut after relieving Ersson against the New York Islanders on April 1, helping the Flyers battle back for a point in an overtime loss. It was his first professional hockey game since playing for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League on March 8.

This season, after starting 0-3 with a 5.35 GAA and .821 save percentage — with the team giving up odd-man rushes and shots that not even Bernie Parent could stop — he sat, too. However, he did look awkward and stiff and allowed several low-danger goals.

His third start was against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 23 and he served as the backup the next game. But with Kolosov recalled on Oct. 26, Fedotov did not dress again until Ersson suffered his first lower-body injury this season against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 2.

And it wasn’t until Kolosov tweaked something during the morning skate on Nov. 7 that Fedotov got another chance.

» READ MORE: Aleksei Kolosov struggles in Flyers’ loss to Vegas Golden Knights

Fedotov earned his first NHL win that night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It sparked a 4-1-1 spin with a much-improved 2.57 GAA and a .909 save percentage while Ersson was on the shelf again with a lower-body injury.

Then came the two goals on seven shots in the first 20 minutes against the Panthers on Dec. 5. Kolosov started the next game and Ersson returned Dec. 8. After that, Fedotov didn’t even dress until serving as the backup Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

“I just stay with my routine. It’s what I can do,” Fedotov said in Las Vegas. “Concentrate on the ice, off the ice, and just keep my mind every time in focus. It’s hard, [and] it’s a tough time but all the time you have to be ready because anything can happen. If you are not ready, it’s only your problem. Nobody cares how long you haven’t been playing.”

Fedotov has been focusing on the details during his time between starts. Like Kolosov, he has often noted how different the traffic is in front of the net at the NHL level compared to the KHL. Across the last month, Fedotov was staying on the ice long after his teammates left, working with the other healthy scratches and goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh.

The Flyers, who have been playing better defensively, will be hyper-focused on things in their end.

“Obviously, you want to play well in front of your goalie, no matter who it is or what the situation is, but obviously a little different circumstances here,” forward Morgan Frost said. “I think it’s something we’re going to be putting a point of emphasis on, for sure. He’s part of the team and a great guy so we want to play well in front of him. It’s not the easiest spot to go into, so trying to do everything we can for him.”

Making the trek back east after a week out west to wrap up a five-game, 10-day road trip, Tortorella wants his group to play a simple game focusing on defense — and that’s whether they’re playing “east, west, or on the moon.” And while he doesn’t want to jinx things, he was quick to note that the Flyers have been scoring more consistently while they have been doing just that, especially “doing the right things away from the puck.”

He wants that focus to remain with his team with Fedotov in net.

“I think the onus is on us to help him, against a really good team offensively, to make sure we’re playing strong in front of him,” Tortorella said.

So will Fedotov have a longer leash than he did against Florida since he hasn’t played in so long?

“I don’t have a leash,” Tortorella said. “I just call them as I see them.”

Fedotov is listed at 6-foot-7. The Leafs starter for the game, Dennis Hildeby, is also listed at 6-7 and is also a rookie. He is 2-1-0 with a 3.68 GAA and an .875 save percentage. ... Former Flyers coach and player Craig Berube is in his first season as the head coach in Toronto. He played 323 games across two stints with the Orange and Black, registering 54 points and ranking ninth all-time in penalty minutes (1,138). Berube also coached the Flyers for two seasons, going 75-58-28 with one playoff appearance, losing in seven games to the New York Rangers in 2013-14.