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Flyers enter bye week with major goaltending questions

Edmonton Oilers v Philadelphia Flyers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 08: Goalie Steve Mason #35 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on in the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at Wells Fargo Center on December 8, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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The Philadelphia Flyers went into their bye week with just three wins in their last 14 games.

When they come out of it, they might also be out of a playoff spot.

The Flyers don’t play again until Saturday against New Jersey. They’re only one point clear of Carolina for the second wild-card spot, and the Hurricanes are surging.

“It’s definitely a tough stretch right now,” Flyers goalie Steve Mason said, per CSN Philly. “Not proud of the way things are going. Kind of have to step back here and get away for a few days, which will be good I think at this point in time. Just come back and reset.”

Mason allowed five goals on just 17 shots in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to Washington. It was the second straight game he didn’t finish; he also got pulled Thursday against Vancouver.

Looking ahead, if the Flyers don’t get better goaltending from one of Mason or Michal Neuvirth, they may have to consider recalling Anthony Stolarz from the AHL. Mason’s save percentage has fallen all the way to .897, and Neuvirth’s is even lower at .877.

Stolarz, 22, only made two starts when he was up with the big club, but both were wins and one was a shutout. When he was reassigned to Lehigh Valley of the AHL, he left with a .938 save percentage.

One even wonders if GM Ron Hextall might spend part of the bye week making calls to his counterparts around the league. Could the Blues or Stars be interested in Mason or Neuvirth?

At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt for Hextall to find out, if he hasn’t already. Because at this point, it seems very unlikely that both Mason and Neuvirth will be back with the Flyers next year. Each is a pending unrestricted free agent, and Stolarz has made a pretty strong case to be up in the show.

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