VOORHEES – Only one player from Tuesday’s Game 3 loss was out on the ice Wednesday when the team didn’t officially have practice.

It’s the same guy who has probably spent the most time practicing all season: goalie Steve Mason.

Mason, who hasn’t started a game since April 12 when he was knocked out against the Pittsburgh Penguins, was on the ice for an hour with goalie coach Jeff Reese and Phantoms goalie Yann Danis.

All signs point to Mason starting Game 4 Friday night, although neither Mason nor coach Craig Berube wanted to tip their hand.

“I have no expectations,” Mason said. “If Chief says I’m in, I’ll be ready.”

He figures the seven minutes and 15 seconds of action he got Tuesday in relief, coupled with a few practices, will have him sharp enough to be ready for playoff hockey.

If that’s not pressure enough, his team is already down 2-1 in the series against the New York Rangers, so the margin for error is almost nonexistent.

“You want to have your A-game regardless of what the situation is,” Mason said. “For myself, I’ve been sitting out for a while now. I just have to make sure that the remaining practices I utilize, and whenever I do get in there, I’m ready to go.”

As for the players skating in front of the net, they say there’s no difference whether it’s Mason or Ray Emery between the pipes. The Flyers have had confidence all season in Emery, who started the first three games due to Mason’s injury and allowed four goals in two of the three games.

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