from John Smallwood of hte Philadelphia Daily News,

Much of the hole they had dug for themselves had nothing to do with Steve Mason. When a team has been outscored 12-2, it's because nobody has played well.

Changing a goalie, however, is the most visible way to bring home the gravity of a situation - so Michal Neuvirth got the call in net for the Flyers.

"I think it's a good time for a change for our team going into this game," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said when announcing the switch after the morning skate on Wednesday. "I believe Nuevy is the guy who can go in for us in this situation and do a great job."

We'll never know how much of that Hakstol truly believed and how much was simply, what else was he supposed to say?

Ultimately, it doesn't matter, because Neuvirth was up to the task.

Starting for only the second time since his March 16 victory, Neuvirth made 31 saves as the Flyers staved off elimination with a 2-1 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

It was Neuvirth's first playoff victory since April 23, 2011.

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