Steve Mason missed a recent Philadelphia Flyers start for “personal reasons.” If Michal Neuvirth keeps this up, he’ll be the reason we don’t see much of Mason.
It’s one thing to shut out a quality team that nonetheless tends to be low-octane like the Florida Panthers, which Neuvirth did on Monday.
It’s another thing entirely to blank the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks, as Neuvirth and the Flyers accomplished in a 3-0 win tonight.
NBCSN flashed an interesting stat after the contest: Neuvirth is the second goalie in Flyers history to generated two shutouts in first two starts (Jeff Hackett did so in 2003).
As with just about every shutout, there were moments where the Blackhawks could have taken advantage of opportunities.
Still, Neuvirth was brilliant at times, with his stop on a shorthanded breakaway for Marian Hossa standing as one of his shining moments:
While there’s elation for Neuvirth, there’s relief for some big Flyers names. Jakub Voracek got his first point of the season, lifting that pressure off of his shoulders after grabbing a big new deal from management.
Neuvirth’s likely been around long enough to know that a small streak only means so much. Still, he’s already taken some big strides away from some low moments in Buffalo.
Aside: maybe we should have seen this coming?
The @NHLFlyers have won 12 consecutive regular-season home games vs. CHI dating to March 31, 1998 (3-2 W). #CHIvsPHI pic.twitter.com/vXQnyRqg7h
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 15, 2015