[PGT] Mike Smith loses the game with 2 abysmal goals against. Flames lose to Habs 3-2.

[Beninho]

There’s just no way he actually starts vs the Oilers right? Rittich has had very little opportunity to get the starting job and since he’s been on the team he’s been very very good as a backup. There is no more obvious time to make him a starter, it’s actually refreshing watching the flames have a goalie who doesn’t have a 3 in front of his age. It’s like the team is petrified of ruining him when they have had their seasons ruined with 3 straight horrible goalies. Like it’s amazing how many pucks just pop out of our goalies asses, it’s ####ing comical. Every godamn year. Ok rant over.

[Kybb79]

I wish someone would have knocked Domi's teeth in. His smile makes me angry.

[browna]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Difference was, Price shut the door when the team needed him to the most. Smith deflated the team with the weak goal against. How you ar defending Smith is beyond me.

How you think I am defending Smith is beyond me.

He could’ve let in two more #### goals and the Flames still should have won that game if they beared down a bit more up front.

[The Boy Wonder]

Mike smith is “as mind boggled as you guys are”

No #### Sherlock


He is mostly trying to admit he sucked post game but still shouldn’t be starting. Too confident for how ####ty he’s been

[Split98]

Originally Posted by direwolf

I'd say the 2nd goal was more bad luck than anything, and you could blame pretty much everyone on the ice for that one.

But goals 1 and 3 were 100% on Smith, which essentially cost us the 2 points tonight. So yea, he's definitely the goat in this one.

I agree, and am only blaming him in hindsight.

But when you look at the awful rebounds he lets out every single night, how he makes Getzlaf look like Kane, and went yard saling to stop simple shot from the point... you start to wonder if that 2nd goal isn't much of anything with anyone else in net.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by keenan87

They are interviewing Drouin.. i find that odd considering its a home game.. no flames player agreed to interview?

Hopefully the home team was busy pitching in to help Smith pack his things for a trip to Stockton.

[Phagoof]

Originally Posted by browna

How you think I am defending Smith is beyond me.

He could’ve let in two more #### goals and the Flames still should have won that game if they beared down a bit more up front.

No.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan2010

Pretty hard to figure out who should be in net when you look at it that way.......

It's like a bizarro world where Miikka Kiprusoff were Curtis McElhinney's backup.

[old-fart]

Staple Smith to the bench and let Rittich play. Smith is not an NHL goalie anymore, or anywhere close. Start working the phones to see if we can get an actual goalie to replace him, and when we do waive him and send him down. If he doesn’t report, who cares - he shouldn’t start in the AHL either.

If the Flames had started any other goalie currently playing in the NHL or AHL tonight they win the game. But no, they start a piece of junk who can’t stop a wrist shot from the blue line without falling forward onto his stomach, and who lets shots through his 5 hole that a 90 year old grandma could stop.

If he doesn’t stand up in a post game interview and say that this game was 100% on him and he let the team down, he should be cut and removed from the building. Team doesn’t need this head case junk goalie around them.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by timbit

Smith was terrible. 3rd goal was horrible.

That said, tough to win in today’s NHL with a steady diet of <3 goals for per game.

Overall yeah, but they still did enough to win tonight though. They should have won. This isn't the first time this story has been told this season.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by activeStick

It's going to be extremely tough for anyone to defend Mike Smith starting over Rittich after that last goal tonight. Here's to hoping Rittich can take the net because if he can't, Treliving is going to be in a tough spot.

I can defend why they started him. Played well the game before, they are trying to get him on a roll, and the following game is against the Oilers, and I expect they were going to start Rittich then no matter what (barring a Smith shutout).

I think they now need to consider not gradually transitioning Rittich to starter,
(which I think was the plan) and just go cold turkey

[Johnny Makarov]

Good job you idiot Peters. Lets sit the goalie who just shut out the Kings the night before and put in this piece of crap for 2 straight games. Disgusting.
If you put Smith in against the Oilers you are no better than Gulutzan and i want you gone!

[redforever]

Originally Posted by nieuwy-89

That injury was definitely the beginnng if the end for his NHL career. So frustrating that it took place on a nothing meaningless play.

Anyone able to calculate his overall GAA and SV% since he returned from injury last year? I think there is enough sample size to conclude that he is not likely to return to pre-injury form at his age.

It's not just the injury. It is his age. Very few athletes can continue to play at a high level once you reach his age.

He has never been more than an average goalie at best and probably peaked 4 or 5 years ago.

[Steve Bozek]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Ask for the stats guys here:

How many games have the Flames lost when they outshot their opponent?

Smith may have cost them the game, but there’s also a major problem at the other end - the Flames must have one of the worst shots per goal ratios in the league.

[killer_carlson]

Lombardias and Wills reporting that Smith looks crushed in the room. He's answering questions directly and apparently looks like he's on the verge of tears.

They haven't played the clip yet but first reports are that he's owning it.

As Lou puts it:
He knows it. We know it. The hole rink knows that shouldn't have gone in.

[Johnny Makarov]

and all you Smith defenders after the Sharks game can shut your face.

[Le Golie]

The Smith comparison to Turek is fair.

From the same era....James Neal is reminding me of Rob Niedermeyer in his stint with the Flames. Big guy, good numbers in the past, but does not appear to give a crap when he’s on the ice. Biggest floater I’ve seen in a long time. Way worse than Brouwer.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Not saying Rittich is the next Kipper, but could you imagine if Flames kept benching Kipper while Turek was playing like garbage?

In fairness, kipper was given the opportunity to do what he did in that season because Turek got hurt. Kipper proved his worth thru an extended period of time and then when Turek was healthy again, it made zero sense to give him the wheel again.

As well as rittich has played, I understand the philosophy for trying to get Smith into form. Tonight will be the end of the line though. It’s too obvious now. Rittich will get a run of games now.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by nieuwy-89

Anyone able to calculate his overall GAA and SV% since he returned from injury last year? I think there is enough sample size to conclude that he is not likely to return to pre-injury form at his age.

I'd just like to see someone calculate his SV% on shots targeting his five-hole.

[The Boy Wonder]

I hate it but we are gonna have a fun Saturday because smith is starting again...