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Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Steve Masson missed four games earlier this month due to a chronic back injury. Its difficult for a goalie to do his job at any level of hockey when he has a wonky back. Needless to say, the Flyers have been very concerned with Mason's progress from the treatment that he has been receiving for his back condition.
Mason underwent an MRI exam on his back earlier this week.
Bad news for the Toronto native as he was injured midway through the first period this afternoon’s game against the Boston Bruins.
Was it another back issue or a new lower body ailment?
That answer will come later today when Flyers head coach Craig Berube addresses the media.
Mason 8-12-6 this season with a 2.48 G.AA and a .919 save % this season.
Thanks, CSN Philly
Ray Emery came out of the bullpen in relief of Mason and immediately gave up a goal to Bruins rookie David Pastrnak.
The Flyers are presently 9 points out of the Eastern Conference playoff wild card race. They are also only nine points out of the NHL basement. Will they opt to stay with Emery and hope for better days and perhaps end up a player in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes? Or, will Hextall opt to make a trade to assist in the climb up the standings to a wild card spot?
The Flyers have been scouting the Buffalo Sabres this season. The Sabres have two pending UFA goalies in Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth. If Hextall is serious about upgrading his team's goaltending, he will have to make a trade. Tim Murray has two solutions to Hextall's challenges.
Tim Murray may be receiving phone calls, texts and snap chats from Hextall and Wild GM Chuck Fletcher in the hours to come.
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Talk about shockers. Derek Roy and the Edmonton Oilers slayed a nasty dragon on Friday night.
The win gave Edmonton at least a point in five of the six games Nelson has coached exclusively (3-1-2) since Dallas Eakins was fired on December 15..
Roy has found himself a cozy new home in Edmonton and is making the most of his opportunity. In his six games played in Alberta, Roy has scored 2 goals and added 3 assists. On Friday night, he scored a big goal and added 2 assists to pace the Oilers past the powerful Chicago Blackhawks 5-2.
Thanks, Oilers TV
Roy has been delivering late Christmas presents to his former team the Buffalo Sabres. Roy has ben hotter than a Roman Candle on the 4th of July ever since he landed abruptly in Edmonton. Is this his last chance in the NHL? If it is, he's sure making a solid case for why he still belongs in the best hockey league in the world. Right now, he needs the Oilers just as mush as they need him.
Roy has been cast aside by the Nashville, St. Louis and Dallas in the past two and a half years since he was traded away from Buffalo (for Steve Ott).
Roy is definitely making the most of his new opportunity with the struggling Oilers.
The NHL standings have tightened considerably in the past two weeks and Derek Roy deserves a ton of credit for it.
The race for Connor McDavid just got more interesting.
The Buffalo Sabres have lost seven games in a row while the Canes and Oilers are finding their winning ways again.
Buffalo are 1-8-1 in last ten games; the Canes are 4-5-1 in their last ten game; the Oilers are 3-4-1 in their last ten games.
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated by on Thursday night, and the Oilers jacked the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
Saturday morning updated standings:
28th place: 31 points 29th place: 30 points 30th place: Edmonton 29 points
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Michal Neuvirth made the most of a bad situation on Friday night in Tampa.
He made 45 saves in the Sabres loss to the Lightning, 26 in the second period alone against sniping Steven Stamkos and the Bolts. In so doing, made arguably the best save a goalie has made in the NHL this season.
Neuvirth increased his trade marketability with his virtuoso performance in Tampa on Friday night. Goalies are only as good as their last game. Neuvirth's last game was phenomenal. NHL GMs and scouts take note of such things. Talent evaluators don't care about how well a goalie played in November or December. They want to know how he performed lately.
Keep an eye on Minnesota Wild. They are in desperate need of a goaltender to help them buoy their struggling team. Darcy Kuemper will miss at least the next three games because of the lower-body injury he aggravated during Wednesday’s practice. Nik Backstrom has been awful this season in his performances.'
The Wild are out of a playoff spot heading into Saturday's matinee with the swashbuckling Nashville Predators.
A loss to the Preds could force Fletcher to call his dear friend Tim Murrya nd make a deal for Neuvirth. Last week, both GMs denied to CBC's Elliotte Friedman that they were talking about a Jhonas Enroth trade to the Wild. Perhaps they were talking about Neuvirth.
The Flyers, Ducks and Sharks are also in desperate need of goaltending upgrades.
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Oops, he did it again.
On Thursday night, he undressed Sarnia's goalie for his 17th goal of the season.
Connor McDavid scored this beautiful backhand wraparound goal, his 18th of the season, in the first period of Friday night's Erie Otters vs. London Knights game.
VIDà‰O | Un but de routine de Connor McDavid, tout ce qu'il y a de plus normal : http://t.co/D75sKeA5tX #WOW pic.twitter.com/o7UDlauJFF
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) January 10, 2015Anything Jack Eichel can do, McDavid can seemingly do better.
Thanks, @PeteBlackburn
Eichel scored his wraparound beauty in Team USA's preliminary round game vs. Germany at the recently concluded at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Eichel's goal was exceptional. However, there's something to be said for a full speed, back hand wraparound goal.