travel_dude
-
Posts
52,014 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
104
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Videos
Events
Gallery
Everything posted by travel_dude
-
If that's the case, then I have no issues with the goalie management. What I'm starting to see is a shift away from Rittich towards the vet that may get the start. We can afford to lose a few games right now, but we don't get that luxury in the playoffs.
-
Let me get this out of the way. I will forgive BP if it's not true, but I am expecting Smith to start again tonight. It just seems that after a bad game, Smith gets the nod. Trot him out to improve his own play. Come on BP, trust your young goalie. He has only 5 regulation losses this season in more starts than Smith. He's had one game where he crapped the bed, and that was against the best team in the NHL (sorry, I mean the 2nd best team, points not withstanding). At the very least, Rittich needs to start 3 of the next 4. Smith should play ARI, though they are not easy pickings now.
-
That's the quote that bothered me. It's one thing for Smitty to refer to the miscue as "we". It's another that coaches are learning to expose the one that that make Smitty more than a low level backup (saves and GAA wise). I see it as a problem against teams that use a two man forecheck.
-
Well, expecting to score 5 against the Ducks, Wild and Debbies may be a bit much considering that the only thing they do well is play defensive hockey. As it is, we've been held to less than 30 shots twice in the last seven games. I agree with the other sentiments. Show urgency on the PP when you are running out of time. Show urgency when you are out of the net.
-
At the end of the day, it's only one loss. Losing a single game does not concern me. It's how you lose. It's how the loss affects the players. The bigger part for me is how they manage the starts from here on. The Flames want to guarantee home ice. Smith, even with his 5 game winning streak is still only 19-12-2 with a .895 SV% and 2.92 GAA Rittich is 22-5-5 with a 913 SA% nd 2.56 GAA. Give the guy with the best chance to win and worry about needing a backup in the games you need one.
-
Two of four goals in a close game were on Smth. He had a good stop on a breakaway. The number of shots he faced are a good indication that he was not good overall. We don;t have a Vezina goalie this season, though Rittich was n that converstation earlier in the year. I don;t get the coach's insistence that Smith is the goto guy.He isn;t. He can win some games like any good backup, but he doesn;t play well enough to be considered a starter anymore. The team is always going to say out loud that Smith gives them a chance to win every night. They are not going to bury him. What I don;t like to hear is Smith saying "we" when he talks about the mistakes made. Own it and make the necessary change. Rittich has a short leash yet has been the better goalie all season. The team leaves him hanging in NY and MTL and he does what he can to win. He gives up 2 against a very good SJS team and gets yanked. Plays one bad game against TBL and somehow we have a goalie problem. We go all in on Smith to see if we need a goalie at TDL and he responds with wins against PITTS, where we barely outscore them and goes on a bit of a run where team defense helps him out. No need to bring in another goalie. We play a game against a team that struggles to generate offense and we see a goal on 11 shots then 3 goals on 12 shots in the 3rd. I was thinking we may have two good goalies again. The team had responded to having to play in front of Smith. I get that he should have started on Iggy night, but it was less about Smith than it was about a vet playing in a game that was all about lifetime achievement. I don't consider his record this and last season to be anything to write home about. Had about 1/2 a season where he played so well. Fell apart, then got injured. Then stayed at crap level until he went on a run.
-
Every start they give him, he tempts fate by passing within reach of a forechecker. He's so casual about it, like "meh, if they score so what". He has one job and that is to stop pucks. Not make stretch passes up the middle. Not freeze the puck behind an empty cage. Not clear the puck out of the zone. Yet, in a game or two it seems to make the difference. Forgetting that we scored 4 against NYI or had to score 5 to beat the Pens. The 4th goal was almost like the ANA game from the fall. Janko ties it up on a shortie and then Smith gives up a goal on the next shift. Stop being such a tool and do the one job we need. Play the nets like a goal matters. If you can;t do that, move aside. It's time we live and die with Rittich. He's the only reason we are here. Give him the reins and let his play determine the season and playoffs. This is not a Smith team. Get over yourselves Smith lovers. He is not the solution. We may falter with Rittich, but at least we won't be saying "what if". We went with the right guy and we lost.
-
Game 1 - Smith Check.
-
Circling back to goaltending.... Who do you think should get the start on Iggy night? The list of games upcoming: MIN TO VGK/ARI VGK NJ NYR/WPG Makes sense that Smith should get the start Saturday, due to him being a long time NHL player. Faced Iggy many times. Performance-wise, they had very similar results against Minny. The other 7 games is either based on previous records or hot hand. TO, Smith won. VGK, Rittich won one and lost one, but had no maore than 2 GA in each. ARI have been all Smith wins with 2GA or less. NJ was a Rittich win. NYR was a Rittich win. WPG have both been Rittich wins. Ideally, you go Smith (MIN), Rittich(VGK), Smith(ARI), Rittich(VGK), Rittich(NJ), Smith(NYR), Rittich(WPG).
-
They way they pay people there, they won;t be able to afford him.
-
Compilation of Fenruary's best saves by both goalies:
-
I would suggest that Nurse needs to move as well. He actually has a high value to other teams. Should trade him before his current bridge deal expires. The other 4 are the only real players on the team. Kassian might give you something back in trade, for an overpaid goon/power forward. Lucic is basically untradeable and buyout proof. Retain 3m, maybe he gets you a 3m player like a Spooner. $71m committed to that team. Just amazing.
-
And goalies. And 1st overall picks. And reclammation projects that go back to the scrap heap. And GM's go to be replaced by former Oilers or buddies of former Oilers or brothers of former Oilers. They know a little something about winning.
-
Concern may be the wrong word to use about the usage. Team playing better in front. Check. I have more concern about Smith's ability to maintain this level of work. He got burned out to the point of injury last season. He looks like he is one awkward save away from a "mystery 3rd period absense" or outright injury. Two years in a row and he makes a routine save against the same team and gets injured. This year he says it's nothing and appeared to work through it.
-
Anyone have goaltending concerns moving forward? Smith has won his last 5 starts, 4 with 2 GA or less and 1 with 4 GA. Rittich is 2-1-1 and pulled against SJS (2 GA) and had 6 GA against TBL. Prior to that: Smith 2-2-1 (one being a relief where he gave up 3). Rittich 4-0-1 I don't see some of the issues that plagued Smith before he went on the run, but I'm not convinced he has been better than Rittich. What say you? Should we still be giving Smith a bunch of starts or is Rittich the main target to get us into and in the playoffs? There's no free linch here. If a goalie struggles, he may need to sit. By the same token, a win streak is a product of the team not just the goalie. A month ago, we were suggesting that Rittich should start 2/3 of the games for the rest of the season. Now that has changed or so it seems. There was a rumor that we were targeting Elliott when Talbot was traded, but Smith's run and Elliott's late return to the roster changed that.
-
Put a fork in the Hitch team, they are done.
-
Smith gets the start against NYI. That likely means Rittich get NJ.
-
You do recall that he has been very good at stopping breakaways in the past. In some games 2 or 3 of them.
-
Tkachuk's goal was the worst line change I have ever seen. The Flames had been hemmed in and had the puck deep, but the D waited too long to change. Turnover results in 2 on 0. Neither Smith nor Rittich had much of a chance, but Rittich may have stopped it had he been fresh, not wasting away for 5 games.
-
He got the win. That is all that matter when playing Smith. He isn't any better than the other recent games he won. First period 3 shots. 2nd, 4 shots one goal. 3rd 12 shots one goal. Overall, he had a few good saves. He was more risky with the puck than I would like. None came back to haunt him. Moving on. No reason why we don't go to Rittich for the next 4 games. Go to Smith (or TDL replacement) for Minny game. Back to Rittich for TO and VGK. Smith for ARI game. No reason to believe that Smith is back to his early 2017/18 form. He hasn't stolen a game in quite some time.
-
I agree. Well scouted he was. That is recently. Before Parsons, not so much. The other thing to remember is we still had Kipper as well as drafted Irving, Ortio and Brossoit. And the Calgary Tower. Drafting a first rounder wasn;t a priority.
-
We opted to sign Gillies in the 3rd round. At the time he was a good draft pick. Some just never work out (for us). Irving. Ortio. MacDonald. Gillies. Parsons. Only two of those have a chance of becoming regular NHL goals, but both are still miles away.
-
See CROSS's response. That's my feeling. I don't hate the player. I don't love the player. Play matters regardless of wins and losses. Rebounds to high-danger areas. "Perfect" shots beating him. Rittich's play suffered a bit in recent games, but he has still looked the better goalie in all but maybe one game.
-
I understand if this is a Trevy thing. Not showcasing him for a trade, but seeing how much youneed a goalie. But what does one good showing against PITTS show, where 4 PP (one was just after it expired) goals almost cost us the game. A Yotes game where the team dominated almost from start to finish and he gave up two meh goals. Is tonight plus an ANA game enough to change your mind on what you saw all season long? My point is that he has not been playing well. He has a couple of wins. He took over the game in SJ and gave up 3 goals. 13 goals in 4 and 2/3 games.
-
So said Eric Francis, so don't takle this wrong, but Smith is not goning to give you answers. He will make sure we have many more questions. He'll make some nice saves, let in a stinker and we'll lose by a goal. Or we'll win 6-5. Awesome. Same quetions as before.
