Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Mason in goal for season opener; Emery trying hard not to be disappointed

PHILADELPHIA - Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said Wednesday that Steve Mason's appointment as the club's starting goaltender for tonight's season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs had much to do with what Mason did several months ago rather than anything Ray Emery didn't do during training camp.
"At the end of last (season) he really played terrific for us," Laviolette said of Mason after the club's morning skate at Wells Fargo Center. "Either one of them could have started. If we had to base it on anything it was just the way that (Mason) played at the end of last year, the way that he came into camp in shape and the way he played in camp."
Statistically, the goalies' performances in the preseason was a wash ... mainly because preseason stats mean nothing. But for the record, both of them made three appearances, neither of them won a game. Mason's numbers (3.67 GAA; .859 SP) paled slightly to Emery's (3.30; .873). The only thing those numbers indicate are how badly the Flyers played as a team in a 1-5-1 preseason.
To Laviolette, both Emery and Mason "played well" in their exhibition outings.
"Both goaltenders deserved it," the coach said. "You could have made the case for either one. We just decided to go with Steve. He's had a great camp."
Emery tried to shrug off the Mason selection, but did seem a bit disappointed ... as he should be.
"You always want to play, but there's a lot of games in the season," Emery said. "You're going to get a chance to play. ... There's a lot of games in a season and a lot of back-to-backs. Both guys will get a chance to play and both guys are going to want to do well. Right now I'm going to get as prepared as I can.
"It's the start of the season, you have two goalies, one guy's got to play. So like I said, I'll be prepared when I get a chance to play."