Mason leaves practice, to undergo MRI today

Flyers goaltender Steve Mason faced shots but left the ice before practice even started on Wednesday, with GM Ron Hextall citing "soreness" as the reason.

Mason said he will undergo an MRI later on Wednesday to determine the severity of his injury.

"It's always concerning when you require one of those," Mason said after practice. "I'm just crossing my fingers, hoping it's nothing too serious."

This injury appears to be of the "middle-body" variety, as coach Craig Berube joked.

Mason lingered on the ice for a few seconds longer than normal, flexing his right leg, after making a save on Ottawa's Clarke MacArthur from the high slot with 9:10 to play in the third period. The most obvious reaction from amateur physicians would be a groin strain, based on Mason's actions.

Hextall said the injury is not related to Mason's previous ailment, suspected to be back spasms, that kept him out of four straight games from Dec. 20-29.

"We hope it's nothing," Hextall said. "I'd be surprised if anything comes of this. But I've been wrong before. My gut is it's not anything serious, but that's the doctor's job (to decide)."

Whatever is bothering Mason did not prevent him from picking up his first overall win since Dec. 13 in the remaining regulation, overtime or shootout. He stopped four out of five Senators shooters in the skills competition to lift the Flyers to their first shootout win since Dec. 30, 2013. Mason had been 0-3-2 in his previous five starts.

Claude Giroux (left leg laceration) and Jake Voracek also missed practice. Both players logged big minutes on Tuesday night, as Hextall noted.

NEXT TO GO? 
Craig Berube was installed as the odds-on favorite to be next NHL coach jettisoned, according to Las Vegas oddsmaker Bovada. Berube was given 4/11 odds, with Minnesota's Mike Yeo (7/2) and Arizona's Dave Tippett (4/1) not lingering far behind.

As bad as things have been for the Flyers, my money is on Yeo. He snapped in practice on Wednesday, breaking his stick over the boards before walking off the ice, leaving his team to skate punishing laps. That came one day after carving goaltender Darcy Kuemper, the Wild's netminder of the future, for seemingly the third or fourth time this season following their overtime loss. 

On Twitter: @frank_seravalli