With the team's No. 24 goalie Carter Hart out due to illness, Ersson, a 33-year-old with a past in Brynäs, had to jump in between the posts and managed to keep a shutout by saving 1 shots as Philadelphia defeated Detroit 0–<>.
It was the third time Ersson recorded a shutout in his NHL career.
"It was really big to be able to keep a clean sheet," he told The Associated Press after the game.
"It's how we play as a team that's the main thing. I feel like I've become more and more confident in the league by getting a few games under my belt," continued Ersson, who has six wins in his last seven games.
Four siblings chose to go on holiday instead
Luckily, Samuel Ersson's mother Lena and father Hans from Falun were in the United States for the first time with the hope of seeing their son play in the NHL. And what they got to see was probably the best game of his career so far.
Ersson's two brothers and two sisters are also in the U.S. to watch their brother play in the NHL, but they missed this particular game.
"They went on some kind of vacation," Ersson said after the game, laughing.
"They're going to see some other places too, then they'll come here for a while.
"If he keeps playing like this, we're going to win a lot of hockey games," teammate Cam York said after the win.