Will Rittich or Smith start against Habs?
Backup was brilliant against Rangers, coach undecided if he’ll get Habs nod
Their flight was not delayed. So the decision was. Either that, or Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters deserves top marks for this creative answer as he stickhandled around questions about his puck-stopping plan for Tuesday ’s showdown with the Canadiens in hockey-mad Montreal.
One night earlier, after backup David Rittich had thieved two points with a 44-save performance against the New York Rangers, Peters told reporters he’d be mulling over the crease calendar at 35,000 feet of altitude.
So ... coach?
“(The flight) was too short,” Peters said after Monday ’s practice at Bell Centre. “Because I told them that I was going to talk to them about it after I looked at the scoring chances. And by the time I was done with the scoring chances, we had already landed.
“So we’re going to have that discussion tonight at supper.”
True, the Flames did surrender a whole schwack of scoring chances in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
And, indeed, it’s just a short skip from New York to Montreal.
And, as it turns out, we weren’t invited to dinner.
So who starts Tuesday against the Habs: Rittich or usual workhorse Mike Smith?
Stay tuned.
“Even if I would know the answer, I’m not going to say it,” Rittich said with a grin when the cameras and microphones moved to his locker stall.
If Rittich wasn’t so darn impressive against the Blueshirts, the Flames’ coaching staff could have been discussing something else Monday as they digested their smoked-meat sandwiches. (Isn’t that what everybody eats in Montreal?)
The case for rewarding Rittich with a second consecutive start is pretty simple.
After he racked up a career-high 44 saves, this would be a textbook example of sticking with the hot hand. It’s exactly what happened — in reverse — two weeks ago, when the Flames adjusted their twineminding assignments after Smith pitched a shutout in Nashville.
The 26-year-old Rittich has posted a stingy 1.30 goals-against average and .962 save percentage in seven periods of action so far this fall. Yeah, it’s a small sample size, but those sort of statistics warrant more work.
Thing is, there’s a compelling case to start Smith against the Canadiens, too.
The Flames have committed to the 36-year-old as their go-to guy, and it sure would be nice to get him in a groove before consecutive home dates against the most recent Stanley Cup winners, first the Pittsburgh Penguins and then defending champion Washington Capitals.
Besides that masterpiece in Music City, Smith has just been so-so. His numbers — a 3.38 goals-against average and .885 save percentage — are evidence of that, although his buddies need to be a whole bunch better in front of him.
Maybe a matchup with Canadiens stalwart Carey Price will bring out the best in him. Hmmm.
This is far from a goaltending controversy, but Rittich was Monday’s hot topic of conversation at Bell Centre.
The laid-back lad from the Czech Republic struggled toward the tail-end of his rookie campaign, prompting some speculation that Flames general manager Brad Treliving might go shopping for a more proven backup plan this past summer.
He didn’t. So far, Rittich has rewarded their faith in him.
“He’s a good goalie,” Peters said. “We have a lot of confidence in him, and that’s why we didn’t go out and get a guy in the summer. Tre (Treliving) really believed in him.
“I didn’t know much about him. He’s very competitive. He’s athletic. He competes hard on seconds and thirds, and we needed that (Sunday) especially.
“He’s played seven periods, and he’s been good in all seven periods that he’s played. And that’s what you have to do — you have to push to get more starts. But we also have a real good starter in Smitty, and we have to manage his minutes throughout the course of the year, too.
“So that’s what the discussion will be tonight over a nice meal.”
Food for thought.
He’s a good goalie.Wehave a lot of confidence in him, and that’s whywedidn’tgo outandgetaguy in the summer. Tre really believed in him.