Steve Mason out for Flyers due to ‘personal family matter’
The Philadelphia Flyers host the Florida Panthers on Monday night, and goalie Steve Mason would no doubt have liked a chance for redemption after a horrible effort against them in Game 2 of the season.
But Mason won’t be between the pipes for the Flyers tonight.
GM Ron Hextall announced that Mason “is out of tonight’s line-up due to a personal family matter. No other details are available.”
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There’s going to be speculation that whatever’s going on with Mason affected him on Saturday night, in which he gave up four goals in spectacularly bad fashion – a turnover, a long-distance shot, that sort of thing.
“We had a good team in here, a good coach, good systems, I put this one on myself,” Mason said after Saturday’s 7-1 humiliation to the Panthers at BB&T Center.
”There’s no way around it. It wasn’t a good effort. Nobody else should be feeling sorry for themselves. We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves. We’re going to be better and it starts with me.”
“Right from the beginning, nothing I can be too proud of tonight,” he said. “I take full responsibility for this loss. Short memory and put it behind me.”
Michal Neuvirth is the backup for the Flyers. Jason LaBarbera will back him up.
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Hopefully Mason’s family matter turns out OK, and he’s back on the ice for the Flyers. Their stumble at the start (0-1-1) could use the steady hand of their goalie, who effectively rendered Flyers goaltending jokes moot last season – no small feat.
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