Goaltending

[cross16]

Mike Smith will start tomorrow. I like this personally. Let Smith finish the road trip and try to build confidence while Rittich gets a home game to try and get back on track. 

 

 

[travel_dude]

5 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

Fixed that for ya. lol

 

Can you call DET and get the deal ready for us?

Smith ++ for Howard and Nyquist.

 

 

[conundrumed]

45 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

Can you call DET and get the deal ready for us?

Smith ++ for Howard and Nyquist.

 

 

Howard deal.

I've never been a fan of Nyquist's battle level, though he's very skilled.

Howard is all battle, on the other hand.

Don't know how he would respond to a trade. Contrary to popular opinion, Detroit's a nice city when you get used to it.

If we got him, I'd send a note to season ticket holders: Welcome him.

Here's the Detroit chant:

"Jim-my"

thump thump

"How-ward"

thump thump

Even now, Detroit should be closer to Jack Hughes, but they have Howard.

 

 

[MAC331]

33 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

Howard deal.

I've never been a fan of Nyquist's battle level, though he's very skilled.

Howard is all battle, on the other hand.

Don't know how he would respond to a trade. Contrary to popular opinion, Detroit's a nice city when you get used to it.

If we got him, I'd send a note to season ticket holders: Welcome him.

Here's the Detroit chant:

"Jim-my"

thump thump

"How-ward"

thump thump

Even now, Detroit should be closer to Jack Hughes, but they have Howard.

 

 

What do you know, you are from Sarnia. LOL

[MAC331]

36 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

Howard deal.

I've never been a fan of Nyquist's battle level, though he's very skilled.

Howard is all battle, on the other hand.

Don't know how he would respond to a trade. Contrary to popular opinion, Detroit's a nice city when you get used to it.

If we got him, I'd send a note to season ticket holders: Welcome him.

Here's the Detroit chant:

"Jim-my"

thump thump

"How-ward"

thump thump

Even now, Detroit should be closer to Jack Hughes, but they have Howard.

 

 

Nyquist might come alive playing with a fellow Swede like Backlund.

[conundrumed]

8 minutes ago, MAC331 said:

What do you know, you are from Sarnia. LOL

Bright's Grove.

We like to differentiate. lol

I'm more worried that Howard gets moved at all.

If he does, I want it to be to us. Not St. Loo, Edm etc.

If he's the same guy as advertised in Detroit, he becomes a problem.

SJ? That would be pure torture as Jones simply isn't very good.

[420since1974]

I knew that Howard had a good glove but until watching those highlights, I didn't realize that he uses that forward flop so often, something that many criticize Smith for doing.

[travel_dude]

30 minutes ago, 420since1974 said:

I knew that Howard had a good glove but until watching those highlights, I didn't realize that he uses that forward flop so often, something that many criticize Smith for doing.

 

It depends how you position the rest of your body.  If your glove drops, it's a problem.  If you can't reposition yourself after the first shot, it's a problem.

My problem with SMith will always start with his playing the puck.  Start the play to the defense, no problem.  Short pass, no problem.  Stop the ring aound shot.  No problem.  Ellect to shoot along the boards every time the puck comes near you?  Big problem.  The other part is how deep and low Smith plays.  Too many holes left.

[CheersMan]

7 hours ago, conundrumed said:

Howard deal.

I've never been a fan of Nyquist's battle level, though he's very skilled.

Howard is all battle, on the other hand.

Don't know how he would respond to a trade. Contrary to popular opinion, Detroit's a nice city when you get used to it.

If we got him, I'd send a note to season ticket holders: Welcome him.

Here's the Detroit chant:

"Jim-my"

thump thump

"How-ward"

thump thump

Even now, Detroit should be closer to Jack Hughes, but they have Howard.

 

 

 

Lets compare apples to apples then.

I'm not giving up on Smitty, and I don't think he has given up on himself or the Flames.

Last kick at the can so to speak with plenty of motivation.

I think he will scratch an claw his way back with every opportunity given.

 

 

 

[JTech780]

Hate to say it, but I think we have to go back with Smith on Monday against his former team. Sitting for a few games isn't going to hurt Rittich, and I think we need to keep riding the hot hand and right now oddly enough it's Smith.

[robrob74]

1 hour ago, JTech780 said:

Hate to say it, but I think we have to go back with Smith on Monday against his former team. Sitting for a few games isn't going to hurt Rittich, and I think we need to keep riding the hot hand and right now oddly enough it's Smith.

 

I, for some reason, think he has had residual effects of his injury since last year. Possibly he is just getting over it.

 

my bro and I chatted about it today and he said he heard from a goalie that some injuries take goalies up to two years to recover.

[conundrumed]

1 hour ago, robrob74 said:

 

I, for some reason, think he has had residual effects of his injury since last year. Possibly he is just getting over it.

 

my bro and I chatted about it today and he said he heard from a goalie that some injuries take goalies up to two years to recover.

2 years? That's a bit much. A broken leg is 4 months.

A broken head?

I think it's been mental with Smith. His family thought Phoenix was the Satoshi Nakamoto and forever is my guess.

The timeline fits. Don't forget, they're people like you and I.

[robrob74]

26 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

2 years? That's a bit much. A broken leg is 4 months.

A broken head?

I think it's been mental with Smith. His family thought Phoenix was the Satoshi Nakamoto and forever is my guess.

The timeline fits. Don't forget, they're people like you and I.

 

Well when you rush back to play you can’t fully heal. He’s had summer, but then possibly went back to training early. But then ya, could be in the head. The thing about hockey players is that they tend to play through a lot of injuries. If he was playing with something nagging it could be why it’s between the ears as well. He hasn’t looked right most of the year. Mobility has been slowed. Etc.

 

i don’t want to give him an excuse nor let him off the hook.

[cross16]

I think it should be Rittich. Smith needs more than 2 good games to flip the equation for me. 

[robrob74]

10 minutes ago, cross16 said:

I think it should be Rittich. Smith needs more than 2 good games to flip the equation for me. 

 

Thats kind of my theory in goaltending now. Play a goalie 2 games on and 1 game off. If it’s a starter in becomes 54 games. If they play 3 on 2 off it’s a 50 game schedule. I am not saying smith won the net back or anything. I just want goaltending to get fixed.

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

12 hours ago, conundrumed said:

2 years? That's a bit much. A broken leg is 4 months.

A broken head?

I think it's been mental with Smith. His family thought Phoenix was the Satoshi Nakamoto and forever is my guess.

The timeline fits. Don't forget, they're people like you and I.

Even an athlete with the medical/rehab access a pro has, soft tissue injuries almost always take longer to heal 100%. You'll recover from a broken foot alot quicker than a high ankle sprain. It's probably not the reason performance is the way it is but its not totally out of the question.

[robrob74]

2 hours ago, flames-fan-in-jets-land said:

Even an athlete with the medical/rehab access a pro has, soft tissue injuries almost always take longer to heal 100%. You'll recover from a broken foot alot quicker than a high ankle sprain. It's probably not the reason performance is the way it is but its not totally out of the question.

 

Yea, especially if they’re having to push off one side to another off a pain in the leg. I think you double think it, and even a double thought as a goalie you’ve already thought too long. The read is then off.

 

i have a goalie friend who was never injured. Got one, got the ok from doc after rehab or physio to start playing again, tweaked it right away. Even just a slight one. He played through it a bit and continued to rehabilitate it. He thought it was ok enough to play but wasn’t the same. Then he re injured it again. Pulled muscles are a BTC! 

 

I had a friend who would pull his every time we played a sport. He’d get it healed and then pull it again. 

[conundrumed]

18 hours ago, JTech780 said:

Hate to say it, but I think we have to go back with Smith on Monday against his former team. Sitting for a few games isn't going to hurt Rittich, and I think we need to keep riding the hot hand and right now oddly enough it's Smith.

I believe that's the plan. Hopefully we don't take the 'yotes lightly and get on another roll.

[travel_dude]

17 hours ago, JTech780 said:

Hate to say it, but I think we have to go back with Smith on Monday against his former team. Sitting for a few games isn't going to hurt Rittich, and I think we need to keep riding the hot hand and right now oddly enough it's Smith.

 

13 hours ago, cross16 said:

I think it should be Rittich. Smith needs more than 2 good games to flip the equation for me. 

 

I'm not convinced Smith is a "hot hand".  He played two games where he gave us good enough goaltending to win.  He was really good for stretches.

Does that make us forget why Rittich is the starter?

I would have been saving the ARI game for him, after playing Rittich for 2, but that's just me.  That is a gift.

ARI is not a pushover anymore.

 

What I don't understand is why all of a sudden Rittich is a question mark for BP or Sigalet.  TBL was a whitewash for the team.  VAN was a SO loss.  SJS he was pulled after 2 goals.  Did the coach forget that Rittich is the only reason why we are in a playoff spot?  Not freaking out here, just annoyed.  We have a chance to solidify our spot in the West.  ARI, ANA, OTT and NJ coming up.  4 teams out of the playoffs.  Easy enough to lose to any of them.

[conundrumed]

On 2/15/2019 at 11:41 PM, CheersMan said:

Lets compare apples to apples then.

I'm not giving up on Smitty, and I don't think he has given up on himself or the Flames.

Last kick at the can so to speak with plenty of motivation.

I think he will scratch an claw his way back with every opportunity given.

I'm with you. Been hoping all yr without getting sideways on the guy. Maybe deadline and Howard rumours are just what he needed?

[JTech780]

1 hour ago, travel_dude said:

 

 

I'm not convinced Smith is a "hot hand".  He played two games where he gave us good enough goaltending to win.  He was really good for stretches.

Does that make us forget why Rittich is the starter?

I would have been saving the ARI game for him, after playing Rittich for 2, but that's just me.  That is a gift.

ARI is not a pushover anymore.

 

What I don't understand is why all of a sudden Rittich is a question mark for BP or Sigalet.  TBL was a whitewash for the team.  VAN was a SO loss.  SJS he was pulled after 2 goals.  Did the coach forget that Rittich is the only reason why we are in a playoff spot?  Not freaking out here, just annoyed.  We have a chance to solidify our spot in the West.  ARI, ANA, OTT and NJ coming up.  4 teams out of the playoffs.  Easy enough to lose to any of them.

 

On the last broadcast they showed a graphic showing that since Nov.25 Smith and Rittich had the same save %, .901. I believe that was the date, someone can correct me if I am wrong.

 

Rittich has been very good for us this year, but I would say that since the calendar hit 2019 Rittich hasn't been the same goalie and has been guilty of some very weak goals.

 

In their last 3 starts Rittich has a .810 save% and Smith has a .884. So as of right now Smith is the guy with the hot hand in comparison. Both have to be better.

[cross16]

31 minutes ago, JTech780 said:

 

 

In their last 3 starts Rittich has a .810 save% and Smith has a .884. So as of right now Smith is the guy with the hot hand in comparison. Both have to be better.

 

I agree with the conclusion but quoting that stat is really misleading as it includes Rittich being pulled in SJ which I think most would agree was unfair. 

 

I agree with TD that I don't think it's accurate to say smith is the hot hand. He's won but I don't think he did it playing better than Rittich was playing. 

[conundrumed]

2 minutes ago, cross16 said:

 

I agree with the conclusion but quoting that stat is really mileadjng as it includes Rittich being pulled in SJ which I think most would agree was unfair. 

 

I agree with TD that I don't think it's accurate to say smith is the hot hand. He's won but I don't think he did it playing better than Rittich was playing. 

Hopefully we'll be at the point soon where it doesn't matter who starts.

I've never been a proponent of the "hot goalie". I get the context, I just don't think it carries a lot of weight.

Keep your goalies rested and ready is all. God knows the position always requires luck and favourable bounces as well as team play.

In the Kipper years, he was always the "hot hand". But only because the team would be hot garbage in front of any backup.

That's no longer the case, and again, "hot hand" is a lot more than numbers that a goalie isn't solely responsible for.

If team play is good, bad or indifferent, any NHL goalie's numbers will reflect that over any given period.

[JTech780]

1 minute ago, cross16 said:

 

I agree with the conclusion but quoting that stat is really mileadjng as it includes Rittich being pulled in SJ which I think most would agree was unfair. 

 

I agree with TD that I don't think it's accurate to say smith is the hot hand. He's won but I don't think he did it playing better than Rittich was playing. 

 

I have been as hard on Smith as anyone here, but if I am going to be hard on Smith for not playing well I have to do the same with Rittich, and he hasn't been playing great for awhile. 

 

I also think Rittich's history shows that he plays better when he has to fight for his minutes.

 

I am not saying that we give the number 1 job to Smith, but right now neither goalie is playing like a number 1, and I don't think we have a number 1 goalie at the moment, so we have to go with goaltending by committee.

 

I didn't have any issue with Rittich getting pulled in that game. It was a huge divisional game for us and Rittich wasn't mentally prepared for it and gave up two of his weakest goals this year.

 

We currently are sitting in 23rd place in the league for save % at .900. Goaltending is our biggest weakness and something I think that needs to addressed. I am a little worried, because there are a lot of reports out there saying that management is fine with where our goaltending is at.

[cross16]

3 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

Hopefully we'll be at the point soon where it doesn't matter who starts.

I've never been a proponent of the "hot goalie". I get the context, I just don't think it carries a lot of weight.

Keep your goalies rested and ready is all. God knows the position always requires luck and favourable bounces as well as team play.

In the Kipper years, he was always the "hot hand". But only because the team would be hot garbage in front of any backup.

That's no longer the case, and again, "hot hand" is a lot more than numbers that a goalie isn't solely responsible for.

If team play is good, bad or indifferent, any NHL goalie's numbers will reflect that over any given period.

 

The biggest reason I would have gone back to Rittich is I think you need a guy going into the playoffs, you can't go in undecided. Going with the "hot hand" is not a recipe for going on a run. 

 

Not pounding the table upset upset but I think you need to pick one here and for me it's Rittich.