Expected to be Philadelphia's backup, or at best, a time-share goalie with Samuel Ersson, Vladar has made an early-season case for extra playing time and returns to the crease on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. The 28-year-old Vladar has been near-perfect early in the 2025-26 season, posting an outstanding 1.75 GAA and .929 SV% in four games (3-1-0). That said, in five previous NHL seasons, Vladar has had a save percentage above .900 only once. The Flyers enter Thursday's contest as +138 road underdogs against a struggling Senators team that has been outscored 33-22 this season (2-4-1).
