Lost in the commotion of Saturday's overtime loss to Minnesota was the fact that Predators backup goaltender Chris Mason played another excellent game. Mason has allowed only three goals on 62 shots over two starts in place of starter Pekka Rinne this season and is showing that he would be useful in fantasy leagues in Rinne were to endure any sort of absence. "I felt way better today, just not as nervous, just more confident and kind of in control," Mason said. "I felt good. I thought it was a real tight game. It's obviously unfortunate to lose in overtime, but we got a point on the road."

Chris Mason made 30 saves but gave up the overtime game winner in the Nashville Predators' 2-1 loss Saturday night. It was only Mason's second appearance of the season and he played well, stoning Dany Heatley twice in the first 20 seconds of overtime. Unfortunately, Wild winger Devin Setoguchi found the back of the net with 38.2 seconds left in the extra period. Number one goalie Pekka Rinne is expected back in net for Sunday's game against the Blackhawks.

Chris Mason was the first goalie off the ice Saturday, so he's expected to start at Minnesota. Mason won in his only other appearance this season and it came versus the Wild. He stopped 29 of 30 shots in a 3-1 victory back on Jan. 22. The Predators host Chicago on Sunday, so number one goalie Pekkae Rinne should be back in goal for that contest.

Chris Mason delivered a solid performance by stopping 29 of 30 shots in the Predators' 3-1 win over Minnesota Tuesday. Pekka Rinne was given the night off after having started Nashville's first two contests and Mason proved that he;s one of the better backups in the league. He's a solid handcuff for Rinne owners.

It looks like backup Chris Mason will get the start in net Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. Mason will give Pekka Rinne, who played the last two games, a night off Tuesday. Just an FYI to those of you who have Rinne in your lineups.

There is no word yet on when Chris Mason will get a start in goal for Nashville. Pekka Rinne is the undisputed number one netminder in Nashville and will likely get the start Monday, but coach Barry Trotz will map out the next seven games after today's game and Mason should be between the pipes soon, especially with the shortened and compacted season.

Chris Mason sees a big difference in intensity between training camp practices and the work players were doing during the lockout. "You don't have those long, drawn-out plays," Mason said. "It's going to be crash and bang around the net, just lots of traffic and all those things you see in a regular game." Those that got to play during the work stoppage should be ahead of the curve, but not many goaltenders found work overseas. Consequently, we could be in for some high scoring games in the early portion of the season.

The Predators players still in Nashville have been engaging in three-on-three games as they try to keep sharp during the lockout. "We had some good competitions going, and losers buy lunch. It kind of makes it more fun when something's on the line. We've had some good games and ribbing each other," goaltender Chris Mason said. The practices are also a distraction from the ongoing CBA process, which has been nothing if not dramatic lately.

The locked-out Nashville Predators have asked a pair of local goaltenders to take part in their drills. Doing so gave Pekka Rinne and Chris Mason the chance to take a breather between drills. C.J. Schipani and Dustin Smith are the two local goalies that have been invited and as you might imagine, they're thrilled. Schipani said it was a dream come true, but also a learning experience for the former Junior B goaltender. "They can pick apart your weaknesses pretty well," Schipani said. "They definitely showed me what I need to work on. The first drill showed me my conditioning wasn't where it needed to be, especially to compete at a level as high as these guys do." Schipani is hoping this will help him get ready for tryouts with the Knoxville Ice Bears of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Chris Mason is glad that he is once again a member of the Nashville Predators. This is Mason's third time with the Predators who grabbed him from the Anaheim Ducks in 1998, lost him to free agency in 2002 and claimed him in 2003 from the Panthers. He left in 2008 and has since played for the Blues and the Jets organization. "My family felt we loved Nashville," said Mason. "We've always kind of wanted to come back, playing or after hockey, so we felt this was just a great fit." He will back up Pekka Rinne so expect to see him in 15-20 games barring injury. He played 20 games for Winnipeg last season and was 8-7-1 with a 2.59 GAA and a .898 save percentage. Expect similar stats in 2012-13.