Quote:
Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper
...Rittich could also be a surprise nominee. At the start of last season, I couldn't have possibly imagined Hellebuyck being nominated, but there he was at the end of the season. We've also seen quite a few Vezina candidates and winners in the 50's in terms of games played. It's not unheard of. Heck, Kipper only played 38 when he was nominated the first time.
Rittich has also seen an increase in games every month that he has played so far this season. He started with 6, then 7, then 10 in December. If that pace stays steady, or even if he just plays 10 per month for the next 3 months. He'll be easily in the 50's where I've already established, can get you a Vezina nomination.
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Rittich started nine games in December, which represented a 2:1 ratio of the games. If he starts three out of four games for the duration of the season he will finish with 51. I believe this will be the high-water mark for him. Over the course of the past five years only three Vezina finalists have recorded fewer than 60 games—Rask played 58 in 2014, Dubnyk played 58 in 2015, and Rinne played 59 last year. I don't think Rittich will get close enough to that number to garner the requisite votes.