April 20, 2016
At the Flyers morning skate today, backup Michal Neuvirth was the first goalie off the ice, which is usually a sign that he will be the night’s starting goaltender. And Dave Hakstol is indeed making a change between the pipes for Game 4 with the Flyers’ season on the line:
Michal Neuvirth said Dave Hakstol told him he's starting.
— Jordan Hall (@jordan1hall) April 20, 2016
Steve Mason hasn’t played well in the series. He has an .852 save percentage and let in maybe the worst goal in the history of the NHL playoffs. After carrying the Flyers down the stretch while Neuvirth was injured, perhaps Mason is a bit fatigued.
Neuvirth spent parts of his first six seasons with the Capitals. He was an excellent signing by Ron Hextall in the offseason, going 18-8-4 with a .924 save percentage. Neuvirth’s only action since March 16th, when he left the lineup with a knee injury, was April 10th in the meaningless regular season finale against the New York Islanders.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
