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• Parent: With Elliott out, Flyers depending on Neuvirth ... or a deal • Flyers lose lead late, game in shootout to Devils
PHILADELPHIA » No newcomer to injured goalie discussions — though the subject of such talks is usually himself — Michal Neuvirth says he knows what will be expected of him for the rest of this Flyers season.
He’s expected to play much better than he has to this point of the season.
He’s expected to give his team every chance of winning on a nightly basis. And above all ... try to stay healthy, OK? “I’ll try that,” Neuvirth said earnestly to such a request in the wake of a 5-4 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils Tuesday night. And for accompanying illustration he had offered, “Just going to go game by game.”
Coming off a winning emergency shootout appearance Saturday night in Arizona and a superb winning start against the Vegas Golden Knights the next night, Neuvirth less-than-thrilled in this re-introduction to the home crowd as the Flyers’ new go-to goaltender.
It’s not that he played all that badly, it’s that he was typically inconsistent in helping to allow the Devils to overturn a twogoal deficit.
It was Taylor Hall’s second goal of the game which got it into overtime, the goal coming with just 1:21 remaining in regulation. But Neuvirth’s worst moment was on Hall’s first goal. As the Devils winger was being crushed into the end boards on a clean yet hard Radko Gudas check, Hall threw a 90-degree shot that somehow snuck between the post and Neuvirth for what then was a 1-1 tie.
It should also serve as a reminder of the type of goals that Neuvirth now has to avoid at all costs.
“That’s the one I’ve got to have, but you see so many goals pretty much every night when a shot like that goes in,” Neuvirth said. “I’ve got to be better on that one for sure.”
Neuvirth has to be better overall since Brian Elliott is out for 5-6 weeks after “core muscle” surgery. Flyers general manager Ron Hextall will likely study his goalie options with the league trade deadline looming Feb. 26, but Neuvirth, who has a long history of injuries, will almost certainly remain as the No. 1 for the rest of the way, perhaps even after Elliott’s scheduled return, since it should take some time for his get sharp again.
And that’s only if the Flyers are still in the playoff hunt.
“It’s definitely exciting, but I feel bad for “Moose” because he played unreal the whole season for us,” Neuvirth said of Elliott. “It’s tough to see him going down like that. This is a team game and we’re playing for each other and we’re doing a great job. We have to keep doing that . ... It would have been nice if we could get two points tonight. We didn’t, but that’s history now. We have to move forward.”
*** Hextall didn’t bother denying that he’ll be on the hunt now for possible goalie help via the trade market, but he also didn’t let the opportunity for a little Neuvirth encouragement slip past.
“It’s certainly not what you want, one of your players and obviously an important player for us ... gets hurt,” Hextall said. “What it does is give someone else an opportunity. We believe in Michal Neuvirth. We signed him because we believed in him. He showed at times that he’s a very good goalie, so hopefully Neuvy can take the assignment and do a good job for us.”
*** Alex Lyon backed up Neuvirth again Tuesday night. He has three NHL games on his resume from working during Neuvirth’s latest injury spell. But Lyon did not fare all that well in that short spell. So there remains the possibility that fellow Phantoms goalie Dustin Tokarski, who has 34 NHL games with Tampa, Montreal and Anaheim on his resume, could be an option. “Dustin’s been good up there,” Hextall said. “Would I be comfortable letting him come down and play some games for us? Yes.” Coincidentally, Tokarski threw a 40-save shutout in a Phantoms win Tuesday . ... Oh, and former organizational shining light Anthony Stolarz? Well, he’s been back practicing a bit, at least. A hopeful then? “We’re hopeful that he will be healthy to play games in March,” Hextall said of Stolarz. “Again, don’t hold me to any date or anything because we don’t know. It’s sort of a progression thing, but we’re hoping he will play games in March.”