Goaltending

[Cowtownguy]

1 minute ago, travel_dude said:

 

I think they went all in on him rebounding.

That's nice.

The goalies will determine who is better.

I think we all know the answer.   

I think that he has earned some slack in this area. I don't understand the poor judgement at times (roaming behind the net).

 

When I say that he reminds me of Hiller, it was a compliment. Hiller was once a great goalie, and when he lost it, he really seemed to hate losing it. 

[cross16]

I doubt it will happen but i'd like to see Peters give Rittich a run of games. Still think he's their best option moving forward but he's got to get a groove again. Hard to do that when you don't play. 

[travel_dude]

Getting one goalie going at the expense of the guy that got you most of the wins is not a great idea.

Now the questions arise for the coaching staff.

Was Riitch dialed in?

Did they start the worong goalie in the right games?

Who do they start in game 1 of the B2B?

 

I wasn't happy with Rittich's puck tracking for part of this game.

He was losing track of it.

The breakaway skate goal was stopped, but he let a skate push it in.

The 3rd Ennis goal was bad.

 

Last game, Smith was bad on 2 of the goals.

They were backbreakers.

[travel_dude]

2 minutes ago, cross16 said:

I doubt it will happen but i'd like to see Peters give Rittich a run of games. Still think he's their best option moving forward but he's got to get a groove again. Hard to do that when you don't play. 

 

That's what should happen.

The questions I detailed are exactly caused by letting a goalie go cold. 

[travel_dude]

Tkachuk talking post game after the #Flames loss to the #Leafs defended Rittich saying he was the team's best player tonight and the goals that went in were not his fault #NHL

 

Where i the rest of the guys echoing this?  Nothing from Gio?

[MAC331]

10 hours ago, travel_dude said:

Getting one goalie going at the expense of the guy that got you most of the wins is not a great idea.

Now the questions arise for the coaching staff.

Was Riitch dialed in?

Did they start the worong goalie in the right games?

Who do they start in game 1 of the B2B?

 

I wasn't happy with Rittich's puck tracking for part of this game.

He was losing track of it.

The breakaway skate goal was stopped, but he let a skate push it in.

The 3rd Ennis goal was bad.

 

Last game, Smith was bad on 2 of the goals.

They were backbreakers.

You seem to be the only one second guessing the goalie arrangements and game schedule .

[JTech780]

 

[phoenix66]

20 hours ago, DHT said:

Stats are great because it confirmed the eyes test. This year, the eyes test is nothing to dispute and it would take a moron to say that Smith is better than Rittich. However, there seems to be many morons in the Flames management because Smith is keep getting starter role over Rittich. I just don't get it.

I do get it. I'l start by saying I'm a Rittich supporter , and I believe he has what it takes ..but

Rittich is going into his 1st NHL Playoffs.. he has stumbled, at every new step, then gotten it right the second time .. Jump tp AHL, then AHL Playoffs, NHL, then carrying a load in the NHL. I want to be wrong , but history says his first step into the NHL playoffs won't be Lights out . But he needs the experience and will be next time 

Hes either taken the Loss or played poorly and didn't get the decision in 14 games 

STL, MTL, PIT, VEGAS, DAL(X2), EDM,TB(X2), VAN(x2), BUF, SJ, TOR.. aside from Edmonton , all good Playoff bound or potential teams 

 

My point is we don't know what we will get .. I hope he gets the start , and takes the ball and runs with it 

 

Smith , has been there done that . he has put a team on his back and dragged them to the Conference Finals..when he is ON, hes game changing , we've seen it

not saying he's that guy, but If I have the option to get a guy like that going to be ready , I'm doing it  

He may not be the guy that did that anymore, but he knows what it takes, hes seen the next level, knows what the next gear looks like 

Of our 2 choices, if I have to pick my poison on who I want at the best they can be in time for the playoffs, Im rolling it on Smith 

 

 

 

 

 

[MAC331]

39 minutes ago, phoenix66 said:

I do get it. I'l start by saying I'm a Rittich supporter , and I believe he has what it takes ..but

Rittich is going into his 1st NHL Playoffs.. he has stumbled, at every new step, then gotten it right the second time .. Jump tp AHL, then AHL Playoffs, NHL, then carrying a load in the NHL. I want to be wrong , but history says his first step into the NHL playoffs won't be Lights out . But he needs the experience and will be next time 

Hes either taken the Loss or played poorly and didn't get the decision in 14 games 

STL, MTL, PIT, VEGAS, DAL(X2), EDM,TB(X2), VAN(x2), BUF, SJ, TOR.. aside from Edmonton , all good Playoff bound or potential teams 

 

My point is we don't know what we will get .. I hope he gets the start , and takes the ball and runs with it 

 

Smith , has been there done that . he has put a team on his back and dragged them to the Conference Finals..when he is ON, hes game changing , we've seen it

not saying he's that guy, but If I have the option to get a guy like that going to be ready , I'm doing it  

He may not be the guy that did that anymore, but he knows what it takes, hes seen the next level, knows what the next gear looks like 

Of our 2 choices, if I have to pick my poison on who I want at the best they can be in time for the playoffs, Im rolling it on Smith 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a mixed bag of results for all kinds of reasons not just goaltending. Our own zone has looked like a fire drill way to often and usually of our own making from a poor out pass. Gaudeau has been terrible since the break causing BP to try all kinds of line variations to find offence. I would say no need to panic but as a team they need to get some things sorted out real soon.

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, JTech780 said:

 

 

I think is the most important thing to look at.  I don't care what Smith has done in the playoff 5 years ago.  I also don't care what Smith has done recently.  None of it proves that he is the right choice for the playoffs.  Agree with Haynes that the most important thing the coach can do is get the guy who won the majority of his starts some confidence.  Pump him up.  Rookies are as likely to take you to the stanley cup as vets.  He has responded well to the adversity of having to provide wins when Smith looked like crap.

 

All I am saying is that we spent time pumping up Smith only to have him revert to the things that made him look bad.  Rittich very rarely has a team in front of him covering the turnovers.  When he is at his best, the team can have more confidence in him and provide more offense.  Matty said it best.  None of that was Rittich's fault.  The rest of the team needs to own up to it and the coach needs to show that he has faith.

[DHT]

20 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

I think is the most important thing to look at.  I don't care what Smith has done in the playoff 5 years ago.  I also don't care what Smith has done recently.  None of it proves that he is the right choice for the playoffs.  Agree with Haynes that the most important thing the coach can do is get the guy who won the majority of his starts some confidence.  Pump him up.  Rookies are as likely to take you to the stanley cup as vets.  He has responded well to the adversity of having to provide wins when Smith looked like crap.

 

All I am saying is that we spent time pumping up Smith only to have him revert to the things that made him look bad.  Rittich very rarely has a team in front of him covering the turnovers.  When he is at his best, the team can have more confidence in him and provide more offense.  Matty said it best.  None of that was Rittich's fault.  The rest of the team needs to own up to it and the coach needs to show that he has faith.

I couldn't have said it any better. Thank you!

Now, lets hope that the coaching staffs got the memo.

[The_People1]

2 hours ago, JTech780 said:

 

 

I'm surprised Peters didn't pull Rittich after 2-goals yesterday.

[LouCifer]

23 hours ago, travel_dude said:

Getting one goalie going at the expense of the guy that got you most of the wins is not a great idea.

 

Amen.

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

Going into the playoffs I think we may be over analyzing the goalie situation somewhat. If we look at other western playoff/bubble teams you see most of the teams are not 100% solid in net.

 

Sharks - been having inconsistency problems all year.

Knights - MAF is elite. But he's being played way too much because the fact Subban isn't NHL calibre.

Preds - Probably in the best situation goalie wise. Even if Rinne repeats last year Saros is more than an adequate.

Jets - Helly has been showing signs of being a normal goalie. Broissot can be good but its a small sample size.

Blues - Can Biddington keep up the play in the playoffs? Allen is turning into a dumpster fire.

Stars - Bishop can steal a series, Khubodin has flashes of excellence also. Not bad shape.

Wild - Dubnyk will keep you in it in a shutdown game. Stalock is an average backup.

Yotes - Is Kuemper a starter? Pickard hasn't proven anything.

Avs - Valaramov is streaky and Grubauer has been average this year.

 

The rest are done.

 

As we see the Flames are equal or in a better situation than most of the conference. The fact that only ONCE in the last 8 games the team has scored more than 2 should be the worrying factor.

[rickross]

I’m not too concerned with our goalie situation tbh. We probably have one of the best tandems right now. If we can get Gillies and Parsons to develop into NHL goalies we could be set for years to come.  

[conundrumed]

17 minutes ago, rickross said:

I’m not too concerned with our goalie situation tbh. We probably have one of the best tandems right now. If we can get Gillies and Parsons to develop into NHL goalies we could be set for years to come.  

I agree. Every goalie gives up shaky goals. Both have been pretty solid recently.

When I tell people that I used to play goal, I add, "and never gave up a goal, not even in practice. I got bored with it". lol

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

37 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

I agree. Every goalie gives up shaky goals. Both have been pretty solid recently.

When I tell people that I used to play goal, I add, "and never gave up a goal, not even in practice. I got bored with it". lol

One caveat with my above post is when a goal is scored because of Smiths (and occasionally BSD) puck handling then it is magnified 100X. Keep the puck handling to only when necessary. Numbers show that while the tandem is not stellar it's not as bad at it may seem at times.

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, flames-fan-in-jets-land said:

One caveat with my above post is when a goal is scored because of Smiths (and occasionally BSD) puck handling then it is magnified 100X. Keep the puck handling to only when necessary. Numbers show that while the tandem is not stellar it's not as bad at it may seem at times.

 

The trouble areas for Smith - playing the puck behind the net (not just stopping it) and PK SA%.

Plays better when the Flames limit shots.

Good stuff - stopping dump ins and the teams responds a bit better when his game is off.

The trouble area for Rittich - pass ing the puck beyond 10 feet and 5v5 SA%.  He's just average at that.

Good stuff - calm in the crease, doesn;t give up juicy rebounds, one on one battles.

Team leaves him out to dry too often and he generally doesn't get the win.

 

For the playoffs, I think they need to pick the goalie that has the best general game.

Puck handling isn;t gong to win many games, as a series allows teams to adjust.

Strong defense in front of the goalie will help make the question easier to answer.

[Thebrewcrew]

I would go Rittich Tuesday vs NJ, Smith vs NYR and Rittich vs WPG for this coming week

[JTech780]

I wonder why Mason McDonald hasn't been given more of a chance at the AHL level this year. He is having a very nice year in Kansas City of the ECHL. He is 5th in the league with a 2.32 GAA, he is 5th in save % with a .921, he is 1st with 4 SO, and 6th with 20 wins (in just 29 games).

 

I was one of the few people around who were actually ok with drafting McDonald ahead of Demko. McDonald has had some hiccups along the way, no doubt, but he has always had the ideal size and athleticism for the goalie position, he has struggled with confidence and the mental side of the game, as well as fine tuning his technique.

 

At 22 I think there is still potential with McDonald and I hope they don't give up on him now.

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

36 minutes ago, JTech780 said:

I wonder why Mason McDonald hasn't been given more of a chance at the AHL level this year. He is having a very nice year in Kansas City of the ECHL. He is 5th in the league with a 2.32 GAA, he is 5th in save % with a .921, he is 1st with 4 SO, and 6th with 20 wins (in just 29 games).

 

I was one of the few people around who were actually ok with drafting McDonald ahead of Demko. McDonald has had some hiccups along the way, no doubt, but he has always had the ideal size and athleticism for the goalie position, he has struggled with confidence and the mental side of the game, as well as fine tuning his technique.

 

At 22 I think there is still potential with McDonald and I hope they don't give up on him now.

Considering I think Gillies and Parsons are next in the depth chart I dont see any reason to bring him up to the A, barring any injuries. This summer might see a few changes in net tho.

[JTech780]

16 minutes ago, flames-fan-in-jets-land said:

Considering I think Gillies and Parsons are next in the depth chart I dont see any reason to bring him up to the A, barring any injuries. This summer might see a few changes in net tho.

 

It's not like either of Gillies or Parsons have been great this year, Gillies has turned on as of late, but from the looks of things had been flat out terrible to start the season.

[conundrumed]

6 hours ago, JTech780 said:

I wonder why Mason McDonald hasn't been given more of a chance at the AHL level this year. He is having a very nice year in Kansas City of the ECHL. He is 5th in the league with a 2.32 GAA, he is 5th in save % with a .921, he is 1st with 4 SO, and 6th with 20 wins (in just 29 games).

 

I was one of the few people around who were actually ok with drafting McDonald ahead of Demko. McDonald has had some hiccups along the way, no doubt, but he has always had the ideal size and athleticism for the goalie position, he has struggled with confidence and the mental side of the game, as well as fine tuning his technique.

 

At 22 I think there is still potential with McDonald and I hope they don't give up on him now.

I'm with you on MacDonald. Not a care that they took him over Demko. For the reasons you cite also.

My opinion on MacDonald is that he has simply been too nice and accommodating.

He's very mellow when I've met him a few times in the past.

In Pro, as a goalie, stop saying please and thank you.

It is all battle and attitude or you'll be taken advantage of.

I'd point to Rittich's game now, he's not taking anything from anyone.

MacDonald is young and has been extremely humble in the past. When you get to pro as a goalie, humble will kill your career.

Hungry and angry will get you further.

Hopefully MacDonald is playing that way now. Putting Parsons ahead of him, with no stats to back it up, hopefully lit his fire.

I'm not writing him off, to be certain. Goalie is psychological, just find the right nerve to make him want to prove you wrong. imho

[cross16]

10 hours ago, JTech780 said:

I wonder why Mason McDonald hasn't been given more of a chance at the AHL level this year. He is having a very nice year in Kansas City of the ECHL. He is 5th in the league with a 2.32 GAA, he is 5th in save % with a .921, he is 1st with 4 SO, and 6th with 20 wins (in just 29 games).

 

I was one of the few people around who were actually ok with drafting McDonald ahead of Demko. McDonald has had some hiccups along the way, no doubt, but he has always had the ideal size and athleticism for the goalie position, he has struggled with confidence and the mental side of the game, as well as fine tuning his technique.

 

At 22 I think there is still potential with McDonald and I hope they don't give up on him now.

 

Just my gut feel on this, I thikn they wanted to him to play at one league and get comfortable again. Gillies/Parsons were high on the depth chart so while a promotion may have been in order I kind of feel they probably just wanted to leave well enough alone and let him try and get some confidence back. Could be wrong, but that's how i would see it. 

 

This summer will be interesting however. Bit of a log jam and with no one grabbing the AHL job, or really the NHL job, a lot if influx. Wouldn't be surprised to see a move but i'm with you in that I hope they don't give up. Wasn't thrilled with the pick, but didn't hate it either, but he still put on one of the best Under 18 performances i've ever seen so there has always been upside there. Don't bail on that at 22 IMO, just look at Jack Campbell or maybe even Laurent Brossoit. 

[travel_dude]

10 hours ago, cross16 said:

 

Just my gut feel on this, I thikn they wanted to him to play at one league and get comfortable again. Gillies/Parsons were high on the depth chart so while a promotion may have been in order I kind of feel they probably just wanted to leave well enough alone and let him try and get some confidence back. Could be wrong, but that's how i would see it. 

 

This summer will be interesting however. Bit of a log jam and with no one grabbing the AHL job, or really the NHL job, a lot if influx. Wouldn't be surprised to see a move but i'm with you in that I hope they don't give up. Wasn't thrilled with the pick, but didn't hate it either, but he still put on one of the best Under 18 performances i've ever seen so there has always been upside there. Don't bail on that at 22 IMO, just look at Jack Campbell or maybe even Laurent Brossoit. 

 

Brossoit....

Don't remind me.  One of the bad trades we made.

I don't care what the logic was for getting Smid, but giving up a young goalie without really even waiting to see what he is, just sucks.

MacDonald had a rough start this year.

I don't think you bail on him if there is places to play him and see if he can start to fly.