The only hope after the game 3 Elliott meltdown was to put Johnson in. Yes, he was cold and hadn't been playing well. But the only hope for the Flames in that series down 0-3 was to put Johnson in, and if he stole the game the team would feel like maybe they could do this with some good goaltending.
There was nothing to lose....the odds of coming back from 0-3 are microscopic to begin with, even worse when you aren't getting any stops. But if you get some goaltending and a win in game 4, it would have rejuvenated the mental state of the team.
Starting Elliott in game 4 was a terrible decision. Bringing him back next year is an even worse decision.
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