The defining moment in the early career of an NHL player comes not when he plays his first game or scores his first goal but when the general manager and/or coach calls him into a private meeting and says the magic words.

"I just say: 'It's time to get a place,' " Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson said. "They don't ask too many questions. They know exactly what it means."

Translation: Check out of the hotel room, kid. You're now a permanent part of the team.

The Blue Jackets have not had that conversation with rookie goaltender Steve Mason, but one gets the sense that it's coming soon.

Mason, who posted his first NHL shutout Saturday, will start at 7 tonight when the Blue Jackets play the Phoenix Coyotes in Nationwide Arena. It'll be his seventh start in the past nine games.

"Right now, we're going day to day with the situation," Howson said, delaying a decision on the Blue Jackets' three-headed goaltender situation for a few more days. Mason, Pascal Leclaire and Fredrik Norrena remain on the active roster.

But when coach Ken Hitchcock was asked to map out the club's upcoming schedule -- seven games in the next 12 days -- he mentioned Mason and Leclaire at least sharing duties, a signal that Mason's next month is certain enough that he could buy a Christmas tree this weekend.

"The kid's earned it," Hitchcock said after Mason's 15-save effort in Atlanta, a 2-0 Blue Jackets win. "What else can you say, but the kid has definitely earned the chance (to start tonight)."

Mason has a 4-1-1 record. His 2.28 goals-against average and .913 save percentage are by far the best on the Blue Jackets.

Still, he said, there's an air of uncertainty as he goes about his work.

"I'll only feel stable if I know I'm staying or not," Mason said. "Right now, I'm not feeling too comfortable. I'm just doing my best every day.

"I'll take every opportunity I'm given, and I'll try to take advantage of it. If they keep giving me (starts), well, I'm all for it."

Mason sits at the far end of the Blue Jackets dressing room, in one of the four large stalls meant to accommodate the cumbersome pads and equipment used by the goaltenders.

Typically only the middle two stalls are occupied, with defenseman Mike Commodore on one side and forward Raffi Torres on the other.

But for three weeks, three stalls have been filled -- one with Mason, one with Pascal Leclaire and one with the odd man out, Fredrik Norrena. Torres has been relocated to a smaller stall along the side of the room.

It is an awkward situation, to say the least, but credit the three with making it as normal as possible.

"They've been supportive," Mason said. "They've been like that through a tough situation. I think everybody's handled it well, but I think all three of us are itching for a decision."

With each passing day, it's looking less likely that Mason will be the one on the move.

Tonight, against the Coyotes, he'll face the club that handed him his only regulation loss, a 5-2 defeat two weeks ago in Nationwide Arena.

"That's probably the one game that's stuck with me," Mason said. "But, obviously, I have a chance for redemption."

aportzline@dispatch.com