With Mason out indefinitely, Flyers put faith in Emery

MONTREAL - The Flyers say they are confident that veteran goalie Ray Emery can pick up the load while Steve Mason recovers from his latest injury.

Mason is sidelined indefinitely, and general manager Ron Hextall said Monday he would not have an update on the goalie's condition until Tuesday. Hextall did not respond to a text about a Comcast SportsNet report that Mason would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

In the second period of a 3-1 win Sunday in Washington, Mason had to be helped to the locker room after suffering what appeared to be a knee injury.

Without Mason, the spotlight is on the 32-year-old Emery.

"Ray will be fine," coach Craig Berube said. "Ray is a winner and will always be a winner."

Truth be told, Emery has struggled, and the best thing about having him in the net is that, for whatever reason, he brings out the best in the Flyers' offense.

The Flyers have averaged 3.42 goals per game when Emery plays. That's the highest goal support of any NHL goalie, according to HockeyAnalysis.com.

They average just 2.04 goals per game (44th among goalies) for Mason.

Emery has just a 3.34 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage. Mason has a 2.27 GAA and a .925 save percentage.

"We have faith in him,'" high-scoring winger Wayne Simmonds said of Emery. "He comes in and he's really a calm guy."

Getting increased playing time, Berube believes, will help Emery get into a rhythm.

"He'll definitely feel better about himself," Berube said. "His numbers aren't where he wants them to be, but Ray's a proven winner, and he's won a lot of games in this league. I don't expect anything but that."

The Flyers recalled Anthony Stolarz on Monday from the Phantoms. Stolarz, a 21-year-old Jackson, N.J., native who is in his first professional season, was not able to get to Monday's practice in Montreal, but he will be Emery's backup Tuesday against the gifted Canadiens.

When he learned he was being promoted after a 5-4 win in Hershey on Sunday, Stolarz told the Allentown Morning Call he was "speechless."

The Flyers are on their best run of the season (5-0-1) and have inched to within nine points of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

"We're playing an all-around team game," Berube said. "Defensive responsibility is first and foremost, and we're doing a great job of transitioning the puck and doing what we have to do offensively, and the penalty kill has been very good, too."

In their last six games, the Flyers' much-maligned penalty kill has been successful on 19 of 21 attempts (90.5 percent).

Feisty Flyers forward Ryan White, who was drafted by the Canadiens in 2006 and spent four seasons with the team, will have a homecoming of sorts Tuesday.

"It's awesome. I'm excited," White said. "I made a great group of friends there, and going to war with them every night was a lot of fun."

Michael Raffl, who has recovered from pneumonia, practiced Monday but won't be ready to face Montreal. . . . Kimmo Timonen will skate in Voorhees on Tuesday, another step in trying to return to action after being diagnosed with blood clots in his leg. . . . The Flyers' nationally televised Feb. 22 game against visiting Washington has been moved to 12:30 p.m. to accommodate NBC.