Meister der Farbe » dddBuras also set a new trial date

Phillys favorite pastime is back in vogue again. Local media and fans have pumped new fuel into a narrative as old as time in those parts -- calling the?Philadelphia Flyers?goaltending into question.Last season,?Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth were arguably the strength of the team. Now, with the Flyers tied for 30th in goals against, theyre feeling the heat.Of course, its a little more complicated than that. But the familiar refrain is simple.I think that if you asked Mase or Neuvy right now if theyve played at the top of their games, theyd say no, Flyers general manager?Ron Hextall, himself one of the franchises iconic netminders, told ESPN.com before Fridays game in Toronto.We have full confidence that both of them will get to the top of their games and give us real good goaltending. Quite honestly, the last thing I was worried about going into this season was our goaltending. And, as I sit here today, I feel the same way. I feel very strongly about both guys.Mason, who has been a steady presence in the Flyers net since coming over from the?Columbus Blue Jackets?in 2012-13, sports a .880 save percentage after posting a .918 last season. He smiled and shrugged on Friday when I brought up the Whats wrong with the Flyers goaltending? narrative.When people see the start of the year -- and it hasnt been great, Ill be the first one to admit that -- they hit the panic button. You just have to laugh it off, Mason said. People are always going to have negative things to say about you. [Given] the amount of work that I put into getting comfortable with my game again and getting back to where I have confidence in it, Im not going to let a handful of games sidetrack that at all.You just focus on being better. Its pretty simple. It hasnt been good enough. You put the work in and try to build off solid performances.Neuvirth was terrific last season, with a .924 save percentage. He currently sits at .859 and is now out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, which he suffered on Saturday night.I want to build on last year, but I also know what happened, happened, Neuvirth said Friday. This is a new year and a new opportunity.Its obvious that they both need to be better, but a little help from their friends would be nice, too. The Flyers defensive miscues at times this season have exacerbated things.No question, said Hextall, when asked if the defensive lapses have had an effect. [If] you want to narrow it down to just the goalies, thats one thing. But if you want to look at turnovers -- and just a couple of times a game, the real blatant turnovers, or the blatant, poor defensive plays -- theyve ended up in our net. It magnifies it because the goalies didnt make the save but weve had errors in our end that led to some of those goals.Its not just the goalies.Hextall is doing a bang-up job of rebuilding his roster. He has two impressive teenagers in his lineup this season --?Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny?-- a year after seeing Shayne Gostisbehere contend for the Calder Trophy.But as one Eastern Conference scout who has seen the Flyers a couple of times this season pointed out, youth in the lineup can also translate, at times, into defensive lapses.Now you bring in Provorov, thats a big jump for a young kid to be relied on and responsible in your own end, the scout said. Theres no doubt hes one heck of a prospect. Then you look at Gostisbehere. His thing is playing with the puck in the offensive zone. Theyve got some really gifted offensive D-men. But sometimes its hard when youre an offensive D-man, and youre not big and strong and youre playing in our own end longer than youd like. A lot of times the puck can end up in the back of your net.The?Toronto Maple Leafs?are 28th in goals against. They prevailed on Friday night in a wild, 6-3 affair in which defense wasnt exactly a priority at times. I asked Leafs head coach Mike Babcock after his teams Friday morning skate about drawing parallels between his team and the Flyers, in terms of the challenge of youth and finding that defensive structure.If youre the coach who has given up the most goals in the league ... I mean, you have to have a look right there, Babcock said pointing at himself. So, why can we go from where we were with less talent [but better defensively last year] to where we are with more talent? Well, you dont take care of the puck. Not enough details defensively.As a young player you learn in this league very quickly: No. 1, you dont like a lot of dashes [minuses] beside your name. You just dont. It hurts your feelings. So you want to get rid of that. The second thing is, you know that when its going in your net all the time, its not going in the other net. So youre playing in the wrong zone. Thats the work zone. The speed zone is the neutral zone and the fun zone is the one you want to play in. You better learn how to play without [the puck] so you can spend more time in the fun zone.Bingo.I also wonder how much its weighing on both goalies they will be unrestricted free agents next July 1. There have been no contract talks with either guy, as Hextall wants to see how this plays out for a while before making any decisions.Both guys are pros. They both know theyre going to be employed next year, said Hextall, downplaying whatever impact the expiring deals may have on both of his goalies. Theres no reason to make any decisions right now. Were going to see where it goes. Theres a possibility we sign both guys. I wouldnt be opposed to it. I like both guys. But in the end, why not get as much information as you can before you make a decision??Mason isnt going to pretend its ideal, however.Would it be nice to have a contract past this year and have that kind of security? Absolutely, Mason said. But I understand the situation right now, that Neuvy and I are both up. Im sure he wants to be here, as do I.This is where I learned to love hockey again, where Im comfortable, love the guys on the team, love where I live. Its definitely something to work toward, and hopefully it works out in my favor in the end.Neuvirth is equally philosophical. I would love to stay with the Flyers. But, you know, its a business, he said. Im just worrying about what I can control.Hanging over all of it is the Las Vegas expansion draft. As it stands now, the only Flyers goalie who could to be exposed next June is third-year AHLer Anthony Stolarz, a second-round pick in 2012 by the Flyers. Philadelphia might rather expose someone else, which would mean trading or signing for another goalie.Plus, theres the matter of what to do with Mason and Neuvirth past this season.This could go a number of ways, and I dont have that figured out yet, Hextall said when asked about the Vegas factor.His current goalies arent dwelling on what might happen next summer. Its definitely going to cause some movement, Im sure of it, around the league. I just hope my bags wont be packing, Mason said, with a smile.Who knows? Neuvirth said. I just worry about the next game.Wholesale Vikings Jerseys .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Cheap Vikings Jerseys Authentic . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. http://www.cheapvikingsjerseyselite.com/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Cheap Vikings Jerseys China . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Cheap Vikings Jerseys . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St.NEW ORLEANS -- The Latest on a hearing for the man charged with second-degree murder in the April shooting death of former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith (all times local):10:40 a.m.A judge has refused to remove the New Orleans district attorneys office from the prosecution of a man who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of former Saints defensive end Will Smith.State Judge Camille Buras on Friday rejected arguments that District Attorney Leon Cannizzaros office should be removed because Cannizzaro has shown personal animosity toward defense attorney John Fuller.Fuller cited a 200-page report that Cannizzaros office had circulated to law enforcement agencies. The report alleges witness tampering and other wrongdoing by Fuller and others in unrelated cases. Fuller says the accusations are baseless.Assistant District Attorney David Pipes argued Fuller presented no evidence warranting a removal off the district attorneys office from the Cardell Hayes case.ddddddddddddBuras also set a new trial date of Nov. 2.---8 a.m.A ruling is expected soon from a state judge weighing whether the New Orleans district attorney should be barred from prosecuting the man charged in the shooting death of retired Saints defensive end Will Smith.Cardell Hayes is charged with second-degree murder.Defense attorney John Fuller says District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro has made baseless accusations against him and should be removed from the Hayes case.Judge Camille Buras is expected to hear arguments and rule Friday.Police have said Smiths death on April 9 followed a confrontation with Hayes after an automobile crash. The defense has said Hayes shot after Smith struck Hayes and went to retrieve a gun from his SUV. ' ' '