QUICK HITS: FEBRUARY 24, 2017
1) Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek hobbled off the ice during the team's practice on Thursday at the Skate Zone on Voorhees, NJ. However, according to Flyers GM Ron Hextall, Voracek is OK and it should not affect his availability for the Stadlum Series game in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
2) Jordan Weal (upper body injury) is a gameday decision for Saturday. If he dresses, I suspect that Dale Weise remains in the lineup and one of Roman Lyubimov or Matt Read is a healthy scratch.
3) Michal Neuvirth, despite his anemic .888 save percentage on the season, a subpar start in Edmonton and a just-OK one against Washington, appears to be trusted a little more right now by Dave Hakstol than Steve Mason. Neuvirth will get the start in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Right now, though, it's basically flip-a-coin territory. Neither guy has inspired much confidence on a full-season basis.
Apart from his NHL Player of Week stretch and overall play during the Flyers' 10-game winning streak that is now ancient history with the team in increasingly dire straights in the playoff chase, this has been the one season in Mason's Flyers career where his critics have had valid reason to pick him apart. There's been no consistency from game-to-game and too many stoppable pucks have leaked through.
Neuvirth, though, hasn't been any better. He looked very small in his net on Wednesday and it's not an isolated occurrence this season. Two of the goals he yielded on Wednesday were on wicked shots that went bar down, albeit to the short side. The shooters made unbelievable shots. The bigger issue was that Neuvirth has had more short-side vulnerability this season than he had a year ago. Another goal he yielded deflected off Radko Gudas' stick but then slipped through the five hole.
Right now, I don't really think it matters much which guy is in goal. If a single most unpleasant surprise of the 2016-17 season to date had to be chosen, it would be the goaltending play. The goalie tandem was one of the Flyers' biggest assets a year ago.
4) There is rain in the forecast for Pittsburgh on Saturday but the game is expected to be able to go on as scheduled. By the way, for those of who who are going and pick up a game program, I wrote one of the articles that appears in the program.
5) The Lehigh Valley Phantoms return to action on Friday night. The team is in Springfield to take on the Thunderbirds at the MassMutual Center.
6) Glen Macnow authored a nice article on Lauren Hart and the legacy of her late father, legendary Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart, for Jersey Man Magazine. To read it,
click here.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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