The way I see it is as such:
last year Rittich collapsed after the break because he was not ready to be the guy. Simply put he was over whelmed.
If Mike Smith wins then it takes a little pressure of Rittich, who is well aware of his short coming last season.
If Smith loses sure it puts the pressure back on Rittich, but it is likely the same pressure he would feel if he was given the first start anyways.
From a mental warfare aspect, it is a little to gain, not much to lose.No sense it letting Rittich get peppered by one of the best teams at making goalies look bad.
The name of the game is give Rittich confidence. They live and die by his resiliency.
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