Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
I don't the decision to start Smith. He gives you your best chance to win. That can be the case any night but a victory tonight and you are 3-1 to start the year, which is a strong start for once. Lose and your are back to 2-2 and now under pressure to avoid a 2-3 start.
I'm of the mind that getting off to a strong start takes the pressure of this team through the balance of the year. There are always going to be dips, but when you start the year with one, it basically means you're going to be grippin' it from there on out.
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I can see why you'd want to play the starter. The Flames might be in a tight playoff with the Blues come March/April. But does Smith really give the Flames the best chance to win?
If goalies are getting more "bruised", they may need more rest more often.
Smith has an awful track record after shutouts (at least with the Flames), he's also be weak against the Blues in general.
Rittich has done well in a backup role in the past. We don't want him to get too rusty.
And even if Rittich doesn't give us the best record tonight, we might want to consider: which decision will ultimately make the Flames end up with the most wins possible?