Mason makes 41 saves but Flyers fall in OT
NEW YORK - Flyers goalie Steve Mason looks ready for the regular season to begin, and he used Monday's exhibition at Madison Square Garden to fine-tune different aspects of his game.
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NEW YORK - Flyers goalie Steve Mason looks ready for the regular season to begin, and he used Monday's exhibition at Madison Square Garden to fine-tune different aspects of his game.
"I'm continuing to build on my reads out there, continuing to work on rebounds and puck placement and where you want the puck to go," he said before making his second start of the preseason, facing the New York Rangers. "Overall, I'm working on reading the game. Things happen so quickly, and when you haven't played games for a long time, you forget how quickly things can happen out there."
Mason, coming off a career-best year in which he had the NHL's third-best save percentage (.928), looked in midseason form. He stopped 41 of 44 shots and was the best player on the ice in the Flyers' 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers, who overcame a late 2-0 deficit.
"I'm glad the game shook out the way it did because it gave me a lot of work," said Mason, who faced most of the Rangers regulars. "It would have been nice to get the win, but more importantly in an exhibition is that I'm feeling good about my game."
The Rangers tied it after Scott Laughton lost a faceoff and Chris Kreider scored from out front with 1 minute, 7 seconds left in regulation. Keith Yandle decided the game by scoring on a penalty shot with 3:44 left in OT. He had been impeded by Laughton, who committed a turnover before being called for the hooking penalty.
In the first period, Mason stopped all 16 shots he faced, including five on one power play. All night, he had a quick glove, didn't allow many rebounds, and was rarely out of position.
"He was unbelievable; he kept us in the game," said defenseman Mark Streit, who gave the Flyers an early 1-0 lead during a first period in which they looked disorganized and were outshot, 16-5.
Mason looked ready for the Oct. 8 opener in Tampa.
The Flyers have gotten off to miserable starts in recent years. Avoiding a repeat occurrence has been one of the camp's themes under new coach Dave Hakstol.
"I think that's one of the reasons it's been such a high-paced, high-intensity camp," Mason said. "We've gotten down to pretty much our roster already. There's only a few extra skaters, and I think that's given the guys a sense that the regular season has already begun, [so to] speak."
The Flyers have two more preseason games left - Wednesday against the visiting Devils and Friday in New Jersey - before concentrating on their difficult season opener against the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning and then meeting the Florida Panthers two nights later, on Oct.10.
Breakaways
Top-line left winger Michael Raffl went to the locker room with an upper-body injury early in the third period and did not return. . . . Wayne Simmonds scored on a rebound with 2:01 left in the second to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead - and make them 8 for 19 on the preseason power play at that point. . . . Goalie Jason LaBarbera, who had been sent to the Phantoms, returned and served as Mason's backup. GM Ron Hextall said backup goalie Michal Neuvirth had a maintenance day.
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