Quote:
Originally Posted by Duffalufagus
Fact is we’ve had, for the most part, veznina nom goaltending so far this season.
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I've said this before, but if there's a very typical blind spot for Flames fans, it's lack of understanding just how good NHL goaltending is on average. It's almost as if people are so used to seeing subpar goaltending they've lost sight of what average is these days.
No, Smith has not been playing at a Vezina level. He's had some great games, some good games and some very average games, which brings his total performance down to something like "nice". He's 22nd in SV% and 26th in GAA (out of goalies with at least 1 games played). It's not bad considering the team has had some pretty iffy defensive play, definitely better than Elliott or Johnson have been playing, but it's not outstanding and certainly not Vezina level.
Don't get me wrong, I like Smith, I think he's a good goaltender who gives us a chance to win. I like his competitiveness and I think it's going to be a huge thing when the playoffs come (and yeah I think this is a playoff team).