Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
I believe Smith is definitely the organization's preference for a playoff starter due to experience. But so long as Rittich plays reasonably well in his starts down the stretch, I expect they would not have much patience for poor play before inserting him (unlike the Chad). I don't know if that meets the definition of a tandem (which I think of just riding the hot hand and no real preference) but maybe that's just semantics.
To put it another way, if it was a true tandem, we wouldn't have a strong idea with 20 games left who would start playoffs of game 1. Personally, I believe it is evident that Smith starts that game.
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I agree with this, and this is why I am also convinced that this is the very definition of a goaltending tandem. Smith has looked better than Rittich most recently, but with just under 20 games left I think there is still a lot of room for that to change. If they both look great heading into the playoffs, then I agree that the Flames will start Smith on the balance of his experience.
Overall, I am quite happy with how the goalies have been handled all season, and I am pleased with how the Flames goaltending looks heading into the playoffs.