PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Mason and the Flyers are playing their best hockey of the season heading into the Olympic break. Its a break team chariman Ed Snider would love to abolish. Mason stopped 38 shots, and Mark Streit and Michael Raffl scored goals, leading the Philadelphia Flyers past the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Thursday night. Mason blanked Detroit 5-0 on Jan. 28 and stopped the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 on Feb. 1. He was only 2:50 away from his fourth shutout of the season, and third in five games, when Nathan MacKinnon beat him for his 21st goal of the season. Mason stopped his first 33 shots. Mason, who signed a three-year extension last month, has been the key reason the Flyers have been able to hang around in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With one game left before the break, the Flyers recent spurt could stall because of the Olympics. "I hate them," said Snider, the Flyers founder. He added: "Its ridiculous, the whole thing is ridiculous. I dont care if it was in Philadelphia, I wouldnt want to break up the league. I think its ridiculous to take three weeks off, or however long it is, in the middle of the season. It screws up everything. .. How can anybody be happy breaking up their season. No other league does it, why should we? Theres no benefit to us whatsoever. If anything, I can only see negatives." Reminded the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup finals during the last Olympics in 2010, Snider laughed. "Maybe I like them," he said. "I forget about that." Claude Giroux, who scored an empty-netter with 20 seconds left, has plenty of time to rest during the break. He was snubbed Thursday by Hockey Canada when Martin St. Louis was picked as an injury replacement for his Tampa Bay teammate Steven Stamkos. Steve Yzerman, the Canadians executive director and Tampa Bays general manager, chose St. Louis over Giroux and Pittsburghs James Neal. "Its a farce," Snider said. "Hes one of the best players in the game. Its ridiculous. Hes better than half the guys on that team. "Anybody that thinks that Claude Giroux doesnt belong on the Canadian team, they dont know anything about hockey as far as Im concerned. Its politics, to a certain degree. He had to pick his own guy. His own guy is good, but Claude is better." The Avalanche, who lost 5-1 to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, couldnt solve Mason until it was too late. The Avalanche called timeout with 1:27 left and pulled goalie Semyon Varlamov in a last-gasp effort at the tying goal. It didnt work. The Flyers scored in the second period, when Streits shot from the blue line was deflected by a defenceman and wobbled past Varlamov for his eighth goal. Streit is heading to his fourth Olympics for Switzerland. The Flyers got a scare when centre Brayden Schenn was checked from behind into the boards by Patrick Bordeleau. Schenn quickly got on his skates, and his teammates went after Bordeleau behind the net. Bordeleau threw his right elbow into Schenns back and the Flyer thumped the board, and then hit the ice. Bordeleau was hit with 5 minutes for checking from behind and a game misconduct. Colorado coach Patrick Roy was red faced and furious as he argued with the officials that the hit didnt merit an ejection. Masons play picked up after a recent pep talk from Hall of Fame goalie Bernie Parent. Mason stopped 14 shots in the first period and made the save of the night in the second when he robbed Gabriel Landeskog with a glove save from his rear. "I think we didnt make it hard enough for him in the first 55 minutes," Landeskog said. "I think the last five, we were in his face, banging rebounds, and trying to bang one home there and made it hard on him. We started throwing pucks from different angles and tough angles and what not." Mason posted a 1.51 goals-against-average over his last four starts, stopped 95 per cent of his shots and had two shutouts. "The job as starting goalie every night is to make sure we provide stability back there, and thats what Im trying to do," he said. Raffls seventh goal of the season, off a nice pass by Sean Couturier from behind the net, early in the third was the insurance the Flyers needed to win their third straight. NOTES: The Flyers had a video tribute and a moment of silence for former coach and general manager Keith Allen. Allen died Tuesday. He was 90. "I love Keith Allen," Snider said. ... Lauren Hart, the daughter of longtime former Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart, sang "God Bless America," alternating lyrics with Kate Smith, who was on a video image. Smiths rendition of the song has been a rallying anthem for the Flyers since the mid-1970s. Steve Howe Dodgers Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. Manny Mota Jersey . 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Cheap Dodgers Jerseys . -- Omar Infante walked past the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, where he dressed so many times as a member of the Detroit Tigers, and slipped on a crisp, new Kansas City Royals jersey.PHOENIX -- Cornerback Patrick Peterson says he has reached agreement on a five-year, $70 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, with $48 million guaranteed. Peterson revealed the terms via twitter Tuesday night. The Cardinals announced the deal a short time later, but did not disclose the terms. The agreement keeps Peterson under contract with Arizona through 2020. Peterson has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in the NFL, first as a kick returner then the last two years at cornerback, after Arizona made him the No. 5 pick overall out of LSU in 2011. He had two years left on his original contract after Arizona had picked up its fifth-year option earlier this year. The personable, self-proclaimed best cornerback in the NFL probably wanted the world to know his deal exceeded those of cornerbacks Joe Haden of Cleveland and Richard Sherman of Seattle. Haden signed a five-year, $68 million contract with $45 million guaranteed and Sherman got a four-year, $56 million deal with $40 million guaranteed. Peterson is the first to reach agreement in the initial class of the players subjected to a fifth-year option on their contract. Under the latest collective bargaining agreement, players picked 1 through 10 have a fifth-year option on their contracts that clubs can exercise. That group includes Cam Newton and J.J. Watt. In fact, Peterson is the first of any 2011 first-round pick to reach an agreement on an extension. A news conference with Peterson was scheduled for Wednesday morning.dddddddddddd "Want to thank my family, friends and teammates, all of .P2Nation and the best agent in the biz," Peterson said in another tweet. Peterson has jousted with Sherman over who is the best cornerback in the NFL. Peterson laid his claim to the fact he plays all over the field, defending the opponents best receiver. Sherman plays on one side. Both were first-team All-Pro selections last season. Peterson and Mike Woodson are the only players to make the Pro Bowl as a kick returner and cornerback. Peterson is one of seven players to make three Pro Bowls before his 24th birthday -- which he celebrated July 11. He has started all 48 games since coming to the NFL. In those three seasons, he had 12 interceptions, 162 tackles, a sack, 60 passes defenced and a fumble recovery. Peterson returned four punts for touchdowns as a rookie, including a 99-yarder to beat St. Louis in overtime, but has not had any since. He said he has been told he wont return punts or play on offence, as he did some last year, and will concentrate only on playing cornerback. "I think thats just going to take my game to another level now," he said at his locker on Monday , "because now I dont have to focus on the punt return, try to remember the offensive plays, or things like that. I can just hone in on playing defensive back and being the best player that I can be." ' ' '