Michal Neuvirth will miss a week to 10 days with lower-body injury
The Philadelphia Flyers have gotten great goaltending this season and that’s a huge reason why they are still in the playoff hunt. Michal Neuvirth has arguably been their best goalie this season, even though he’s technically a backup to Steve Mason. He has a .933 save percentage with three shutouts this season in 21 games.
Neuvirth will miss the next week to 10 days thanks to a lower-body injury.
From Flyers.com:
"Flyers GM Ron Hextall announced prior to the team’s morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center that goaltender Michal Neuvirth will be out a week to 10 days with a lower-body injury. Neuvirth last appeared in the Flyers’ 4-3 overtime win over the Capitals on Jan. 27, stopping 27 of 30 shots in the victory. He has won four of his last six starts dating back to Dec. 15 vs. Carolina, going 4-2-0, with all six games decided by one goal."
Steve Mason will likely start every game until Neuvirth is ready to play again. The Flyers called up goaltender Anthony Stolarz from the American Hockey League to serve as the emergency backup goalie should they need one. With Neuvirth out, the Flyers will need to keep on relying on Mason to carry their team. Neuvirth has allowed Mason to get rest when needed. Mason has had trouble staying healthy in his career, so Neuvirth has been quite valuable to the Flyers in that regard.
Stolarz has a 2.45 GAA with a .915 save percentage in the AHL this season.