We already know that Steve Mason won’t play in the Philadelphia Flyers’ weekend games, but the team is still trying to determine how much longer he’ll be out thanks to back issues.
The 26-year-old goalie is seeing a back specialist on Monday, which sounds foreboding, although GM Ron Hextall also told CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio that the team doesn’t think he’ll be out long term.
While Philly’s standings results have been mixed so far this season, it’s probably true that Mason is quieting some of his critics who believed he’d plummet after a solid early start to his Flyers days. While his 6-10-5 record isn’t ideal, Mason has generated an impressive .921 save percentage. If he maintained that mark through the 2014-15 season, it would represent the best full-season save percentage of his NHL career.
Philadelphia faces the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and then the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
At the moment, it looks like the Flyers will lean on Ray Emery and Rob Zepp in net.