By Mary Cunningham
The Flyers are going to have to complete their push to the Stanley Cup playoffs without their hottest goalie.
Michal Neuvirth may very well be sidelined until the end of the regular season; the Flyers announced that they expect him to miss about three weeks with a lower-body injury.
The Flyers website provides some details:
Neuvirth was slated to start in yesterday’s game vs. Pittsburgh at the Wells Fargo Center but did not play after not feeling right. He last appeared in the Flyers’ 3-2 win over the Blackhawks at Chicago where he stopped 24 of 26 shots.
Steve Mason is now the clear No. 1, yet Neuvirth has often been the better goalie this season.
Neuvirth’s 17 wins matches Mason’s output despite Neuvirth playing in 12 fewer games, and their save percentage difference (.925 for Neuvirth; .915 for Mason) is substantial.
The Flyers face enough back-to-back sets to make this sting a little extra, too:
Today: at Islanders; Tuesday: at Blue Jackets
April 2: vs. Senators; April 3: at Penguins
April 6: at Red Wings; April 7: vs. Maple Leafs
April 9: vs. Penguins; April 10: at Islanders
Perhaps a few of those crucial starts will go to Anthony Stolarz, who was recalled in Neuvirth’s absence.
