The NHL average save percentage so far this year is .913. The difference between that and Elliott's .901 in that middle stretch is about four goals. If you look at the heat map for the Flames' shots against, you see a lot of blue on the left side of the ice and a big red carpet leading up to the right of the goal mouth. Wideman accounts for a significant part of that difference. I don't think it's a stretch to say that it might be four goals' worth.
Elliott was not by any means good during that stretch of games. But it was not ‘bottom of the barrel goaltending’.
And by the way, I never make excuses for anybody. I look for cause and effect. Some people think hockey players are magic robots, and if they don't perform at 100% of capacity every single shift, it must be because they are lazy bums. That isn't true. They have ups and downs like everyone else, and the downs often happen for identifiable reasons.
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