Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
The stats don't lie. Talbot's .919 SV% is starting caliber.
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SV% is a stat. But in the flow of a game so much can happen. At the end of the day:
Talbot is 10-10-1 (82 pt pace)
Rittich is 24-16-6 (96 pt pace)
Sure, maybe Rittich's gotten more goal support. But goals aren't devoid of context either.
If you let in the first shot of the game, maybe your team overcompensates the rest of the night.
If you keep your team in the game long enough for your team to get a lead, the other team probably presses more and scores more.
Rittich is 2-1-1 in his last four NHL starts. Could easily be 3-1-0 if not for 0.1 of a second, too. It's not as if he's cost us a game singlehandedly.
The Predators put up 38 shots on him, I have to think he made at least a few quality saves to get us a lead heading into the end of that game.
The Lightning absolutely dominated the Flames, to a tune of 4.81 - 2.63 in expected goals. Rittich let in 4 goals and we scored 3. Anyone hanging that loss on him is crazy.
The Blackhawks? Talbot was just as bad as Rittich. Team defense was embarassing.