Mike Smith's... woes? He blows? Eating crows? Who knows! (Also David Rittich exists!)

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by Itse

I think it's great that Smith has been looking better lately. I really do. But he's still not a very good goalie.

I mean, "Smith has been very well lately" means "below .900 five times in last ten".

While "Rittich hasn't been at his best" means "below .900 four times in last ten".

Or to to put it another way: Rittich playing badly is about equal to Smith playing well. That's why Rittich has way better stats over the season.

I feel like the team have been acting like fans, overreacting to individual games, hot streaks and cold streaks, instead of keeping their eye on the big picture.

I really hope I'm wrong about this, but to me it seems like the team is still under the delusion that Smith might be our starter in the playoffs. I don't get it.

We've been through this enough times. Smith isn't bouncing back, and wasn't anything special to begin with.

We should be getting Rittich accustomed to being the starter right now.

I agree with pretty much all of this. At this point, if Smith is your starter going into the playoffs, the likelihood of being bounced in the 1st round by an 8th seed is pretty high. I could maybe see us getting to the 2nd round with Smith, depending on the opponent. But sadly that would probably be it.

If we want a successful run, I think you clearly have to go with Rittich. Peters isn't an idiot, and I'm still confident that he'll make the right decision by the time the puck drops in game 1.

[Bunk]

I thought earlier in the thread someone broke down that about 6 points could directly be attributed to Smith crapping the bed, especially at key times in a game - Montreal in november being a good example. So are we up to at least 8 points now had we had just a league average goalie in net instead?

[Table 5]

Boudreau: "One part of our gameplan was to go right at Smith if he had the puck. He’s usually really good or really bad, and we got a break for that."

It's a pretty great gameplan, because everyone knows he's too pig-headed to change his ways. Smith may be able to handle the puck, be he's extremely arrogant about it...he'll take needless risks and let's the opposing players get way too close before he takes action. I wish they would've pulled him right after that goal to embarrass him.

We know exactly where this is going if he starts in Round 1.

[jonkaupp]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

The take that he had no where to go when he was behind the net infuriates me. Sure, AFTER he had more than enough time to get the hell out of there, and decided instead to try and be a roadblock back there, then he was stuck.

Play it and get back into the net. If you try and play it and there is a mishap, get back into the net. Don’t stand around like a buffoon.

The sources of that god awful take were not surprising in the least.

[Table 5]

Dude thinks he's Martin Brodeur, when he's more like Arturs Irbe.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by jonkaupp

The sources of that god awful take were not surprising in the least.

I guess I didn’t word that well, not necessarily attacking the take. Just attacking Smith. Get back in the net! Ample opportunity was given. No excuse for that.

[FlamesFanStrandedInEDM]

That empty net goal was something you would see at an 11pm shinny game when the goalie on one team gets bored of being a goalie. There is absolutely no reason that he should be behind the net battling for a puck while his defensemen were there. At that point he was just getting in the way.

Did anyone see his post-game comments in regards to the fans giving him a hard time at home? I was livid!

“Mistakes are going to happen, it’s a part of the game”

Yes, this is true...but if I made mistakes at my job with the regularity and lack of remorse for my actions, I would get fired.


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[jonkaupp]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

I guess I didn’t word that well, not necessarily attacking the take. Just attacking Smith. Get back in the net! Ample opportunity was given. No excuse for that.

I am attacking the take because it was terrible.

[Beninho]

The scary thing about Smith is that if he gets to be the starter for the playoffs one of these games is bound to happen. These types of games are momentum suckers that have the potential to destroy morale. It will be suicide to start smith in the playoffs.

I’m very worried about management already being sold on Smith. Very concerning

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[868904]

The thing is the team, in particular the defense likes Smiths ability to move the puck. If Smith screws up, it’s not their fault it’s his, and his puck moving helps them out too. The team plays differently with Smith then with BSD. They seem to give up less shots with smith in net because he kills a lot of opposition forechecks. The team gets hemmed in more with BSD because he doesn’t move the puck out as much but he’s been better at actually stopping the puck.

It’s a tough decisionf or the team as to who to run with. Smith really just needs to keep it simple. Just make the quick play and get back in the net. When he tries to get too fancy, that’s when he screws up.

He’ll be gone next year so the team better get use to not having that puck moving ability from the goalie.

Good thing is, John Gillies has been great lately. Looking big and moving quick and getting results. That’s another option for the Flames if Smith and BSD both fail in the playoffs.

[Kswiss]

I honestly believe he wants that rush back to the open net and make an amazing save highlight on TSN

[Johnhitbox]

Originally Posted by 868904

The thing is the team, in particular the defense likes Smiths ability to move the puck. If Smith screws up, it’s not their fault it’s his, and his puck moving helps them out too. The team plays differently with Smith then with BSD. They seem to give up less shots with smith in net because he kills a lot of opposition forechecks. The team gets hemmed in more with BSD because he doesn’t move the puck out as much but he’s been better at actually stopping the puck.

It’s a tough decisionf or the team as to who to run with. Smith really just needs to keep it simple. Just make the quick play and get back in the net. When he tries to get too fancy, that’s when he screws up.

He’ll be gone next year so the team better get use to not having that puck moving ability from the goalie.

Good thing is, John Gillies has been great lately. Looking big and moving quick and getting results. That’s another option for the Flames if Smith and BSD both fail in the playoffs.

Unfortunately I don’t believe John Gillies is the future goaltender anymore


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[crapshoot]

My big issue with what Smith is doing is that it is in no way game breaking in our favor, only in the opponents favor.

I see the point of making life a bit easier for the defensemen by playing the puck, but then he needs to keep it to controlled circumstances where he is able to control puck and time. When he does that it is working fairly well, and it is that play that Rittich is trying to emulate, all well and good.

The plays he insists on doing, like last night, is incredibly high risk and also incredibly low reward, which is so stupid it hurts. Even if he would have managed to play the puck it would not accomplish anything that couldn't have been accomplished even better by a safer play. It's just selfish and stupid and unneccesary, and the fact that he just can't help himself from doing it tells a whole lot about that man, because there is no way he hasn't been told repeatedly to stay away from that crap in close games. He just doesn't care. And I no longer care to see him play another minute for the Flames.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by 868904

They seem to give up less shots with smith in net because he kills a lot of opposition forechecks. The team gets hemmed in more with BSD because he doesn’t move the puck out as much but he’s been better at actually stopping the puck.

I understand where this belief would come from, but it’s simply not true.

Smith: 34 games / 894 shots against = 26.29 shots per game.

Rittich: 36 games / 966 shots against = 26.83 shots per game.

Negligible.

[Joborule]

The length and duration of this thread speaks volumes.

Bill Peters has to take heat for continuing to force Mike Smith, and giving him way more leverage than deserved over Rittich who has been the one vastly outperforming Smith in net all season long. Only reason has Smith has been okay, which is the bare minimum you want from a NHL goaltender. But he hasn't been good enough to be the primary starter, because he's going to continue to have games like he had last night.

When Smith thinks he's moreso the third defender than a goaltender, it's a problem that's going to bite the Flames in the ass repeatably. When you are relieved Smith made a routine save on a low risk shot, that's a problem. The fact this thread has been ongoing all season long, and has this many posts, and it's spreads to other topics in this forum, indicates that Mike Smith is a problem.

Why does Peters continue to lean more on the goalie who is completely unreliable, and honestly done as a NHL goalie, over a younger and developing goaltender who all season long to this point has been the opposite of Smith? Flames can't continue to outscore their opponents vastly to mask the issues of Smith's stupid goals against. You need a goalie you can trust when the games get much tighter from this point on since it'll be low scoring, tight checking games. How can the players feel confident playing in front of him?

Smith only should play when it's purpose is to rest Rittich if necessary only. Enough of fitting a square peg into a round hole. Smith does more harm than good for the team.

[Bunk]

Kent Wilson broke this down further - looking also at other perceived advantages his puck handling brings, like fewer hits against our D, etc. He found very little or no statistical support for these assertions. What's obvious is that, at best, it's a wash given how gaffe-prone he is, and he simply does not stop pucks at as good a rate as Rittich. On top of this, the sheer number of absolute stinkers, as broken down by Darren Haynes, is astronomically high for a starting goaltender.

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

I understand where this belief would come from, but it’s simply not true.

Smith: 34 games / 894 shots against = 26.29 shots per game.

Rittich: 36 games / 966 shots against = 26.83 shots per game.

Negligible.

[Kswiss]

Koskinan has better stats then Smith. And he has the purest garbage of defense AND offense. End argument. Smith is crap.

[Resolute 14]

The biggest thing about Smith's idiocy last night is how clearly it reveals his complete mental weakness. Trying to be a roadblock behind the net was just effing selfish and stupid. But what followed was infuriating. Immediately he was back to lunging at pucks and looking lost. It's why - bad turnover and odd man rush notwithstanding - he was soft on the 3-1 goal, and it's why he just embarrassed himself on the 4-2 goal. And that last one is the kind of thing that just kills you in the eyes of your teammates. They're already trying to battle back from the mess you made, and you let them down again with a pillowy soft goal through the five hole? Get bent.

Smith just can't recover from his mistakes. He allows them to snowball because he's completely broken between the ears. And Bill Peters had better figure that out, because his infatuation with this goaltender could well see us crashing out in the first round if he doesn't come to the realization that Mike Smith is not a very good goaltender.

[868904]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Kent Wilson broke this down further - looking also at other perceived advantages his puck handling brings, like fewer hits against our D, etc. He found very little or no statistical support for these assertions. What's obvious is that, at best, it's a wash given how gaffe-prone he is, and he simply does not stop pucks at as good a rate as Rittich. On top of this, the sheer number of absolute stinkers, as broken down by Darren Haynes, is astronomically high for a starting goaltender.

Well you have to think the Flames have stats that say otherwise or the defensmen tell the coaching staff that they prefer Smith.

Because there is a belief within the organization that Smith’s puck handling is a benefit.

Not saying I agree with it.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

I understand where this belief would come from, but it’s simply not true.

Smith: 34 games / 894 shots against = 26.29 shots per game.

Rittich: 36 games / 966 shots against = 26.83 shots per game.

Negligible.

Flames have not played 70 games, but I agree with your point, it would be negligible.