NHL

Rangers’ Nash not sorry Flyers goalie Mason is out for Game 1

Rick Nash and Steve Mason are old chums from their days with the Blue Jackets, yet forgive Nash if he’s not overly empathetic toward his former teammate.

Nash is readying himself to lead the Rangers into a playoff series that will redefine his postseason performance or perpetuate his small yet slinking record. So despite the fact Mason, now the No. 1 goalie for the Flyers, will miss Game 1 of the series Thursday at the Garden with what is believed to be a concussion, Nash is downplaying the last-minute switch to Ray Emery in nets.

“They’re different-hand goalies, so you pick different spots to shoot,” Nash said after Wednesday’s practice. “But they’re both great goalies. I’ve played against Emery since I was basically 16 and [I played] with Mason for a few years, so you’re going to have to outwork them if you want to score.”

Asked directly if he thinks Philadelphia missing its starting goalie was an advantage for the Rangers, Nash balked.

“No,” he said. “I think Emery is a great goalie. He’s been in this league for a while. I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage.”

Well, the numbers disagree. The Flyers were 9-12-3 this season in games started by someone other than Mason, including a 4-1 loss on Jan. 12 when the Rangers scored three goals on Emery in the first 9:24. Though Emery has more postseason experience — he led the Senators to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007 — the 31-year-old had a 2.96 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in his 28 appearances this season.

“They’re two very good goaltenders,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said, “and we’ve prepared for both.”

Meanwhile, Nash enters his third postseason with something to prove. In his one appearance with the Blue Jackets in 2009 — with Mason in nets — Columbus was handily swept by the Red Wings, as Nash scored one goal and added two assists. Last season with the Rangers, he played 12 games en route to a second-round loss to the Bruins, scoring just one goal with four assists.

“I don’t have many playoff games under me to take experiences from,” Nash said. “So each time I can take things from it. Last year was staying with it when things aren’t going right.”

Last season, Nash was also dealing with a lingering wrist injury, while this year he said he’s healthy and he finished by playing the final 62 games of the regular season, along with the two-week Olympic tournament in February for gold-medal-winning Team Canada. Asked if fatigue could be a worry, a freshly shaven Nash laughed.

“Yeah, maybe guys that have won it before, but I’m as hungry as ever to get that championship,” he said. “So there’s no problem like that for me.”

The Rangers have prided themselves all season on not being too top-heavy and relying on someone such as Nash to carry them. Just because it’s the postseason, they’re not intending to change.

“We are going to play what made us successful all year long,” Vigneault said. “You got into the playoffs, and there’s a reason why you got in, and that’s because your team played a certain way. We’re going to put that game on the ice, we’re going to put it with intensity and emotion. We’re ready for this.”

That apparently goes for Nash, as well, no matter who is in net for the Flyers.