While the Philadelphia Flyers compete for a postseason berth, another of its players does the same elsewhere.
Belarusian goalkeeper prospect Alexei Kolosov qualified for the KHL playoffs with Dinamo Minsk, but the Flyers will have to wait a little longer before he begins his quest for the Gagarin Cup.
However, elsewhere in Russia, Yegor Zavragin has been faced with preserving Yugra Khanty Mansiysk’s season after they fell behind HK Tambov 2-0 in the playoffs.
After losing their first two games 2-0 and 4-3, Yugra benched 34-year-old Vladimir Sokhatsky in favor of the 18-year-old Zavragin. The Flyers prospect has won two of his three games since the adjustment, allowing no more than two goals in each of them.
Zavragin stopped 51 of 54 shots in Yugra’s two wins over Tambov on February 26 and 27, but he lost Yugra’s most recent game on March 1, stopping 24 of 26 shots in a 3-1 defeat. In total, the Flyers’ 2023 third-round pick has stopped 75 of 80 shots, for a.938 save percentage.
With such strong goaltending, it would be impossible to lose games, especially in the playoffs. Clearly, such is not the case for the Flyers’ Zavragin.
In overall, the adolescent goaltender has performed admirably this season, losing only twice in regulation in 26 games in the VHL and MHL. Zavragin was 13-1-0 in the VHL, posting a 1.60 GAA,.943 save percentage, and three shutouts. Zavragin finished 6-1-2 in the MHL, recording a 1.63 GAA,.945 save percentage, and two shutouts.
With Kolosov anticipated to graduate from the KHL and join the Flyers in the coming weeks, it is not surprising that the young Zavragin will be promoted to the KHL next. The 18-year-old has dominated his opponents in Russia’s next two levels, so a step up in competition is expected following this postseason run.
