[PGT] Panthers 3 Flames 2 SO loss

[Jason14h]

Originally Posted by 1_Flames_Fan

Game 57, tied for second overall in the entire leaugue. Yeah, I'm just gonna enjoy that and be confident this team will shake the slump soon.

It’s like people thought we were going to win at a .800 clip for the rest of the season!

We actually gained on teams tonight ! Our slump is currently

Loosing to The Stanley cup champs with 1 minute left
A game where we had 47 shots and lost in shootout
A game against the 3rd best team in the NHL where we were the better team outside 3 minutes
A game against the best team in 30 years in the league
A game where we had 42 shots and lost in a shootout

This isn’t a team getting outplayed or changing their game . It’s a team that one or two bounces and a big save here or there has been missing .

We played a lot worst during our winning streak then most these games

[DeluxeMoustache]

Other years the Flames have been talking about how important it is to get points in November and December because they all count in the end. Nice to have built up a cushion

[csnarpy]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

It’s like people thought we were going to win at a .800 clip for the rest of the season!

We actually gained on teams tonight ! Our slump is currently

Loosing to The Stanley cup champs with 1 minute left
A game where we had 47 shots and lost in shootout
A game against the 3rd best team in the NHL where we were the better team outside 3 minutes
A game against the best team in 30 years in the league
A game where we had 42 shots and lost in a shootout

This isn’t a team getting outplayed or changing their game . It’s a team that one or two bounces and a big save here or there has been missing .

We played a lot worst during our winning streak then most these games

Losing







(FYI, I Agee with everything you said)

[Otto-matic]

I'd actually start Smith against the Pens and see if he can carry this performance over. Give Ritter a couple games to reset and focus on the details a bit more.

[CroFlames]

Overall I wasn't too concerned about the quality of play by the Flames. There's always room for improvement defensively. Smith made the saves he needed to, and is looking less spastic. He is such an odd looking goalie when he's making saves.



I hate how we even need to consider strategy for the shootout. It's such an abhorrent end to the game of ice hockey and I've hated it since day friggen one.



I'm a purist and I think we should just do W-L-T with no OT in the regular season, with wins being worth three points. I think you really see teams pour it on in the third to get TWO extra points instead of just one. However, I'll concede that OT is, at the very least the act of playing hockey, so make that indefinite until a team scores.

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Otto-matic

I'd actually start Smith against the Pens and see if he can carry this performance over. Give Ritter a couple games to reset and focus on the details a bit more.

I'm 50/50 on the next start because
1. He's earned it
2. Up to this point in the season, Rittich had earned it

50% of me hopes that they stick to the schedule, and if Smith plays well again in his next start we shift closer to a 1A-1B situation
50% of me wants to see Smith rewarded for a solid game from start to finish


I worry about anointing Smith after one solid game though, and it comes at a time where I'm a little worried about Rittich as well. I also do mean one solid game, btw, as last night he showed a level of play that I didn't think he could come back to. All the prior 'solid games' were in light of what our new expectations were of him, and I think the 60-min effort he put in last night puts any good he's done this season to shame. I'd love to turn the page on his terrible start, but I worry (as I worried after his good start in Detroit) that the next game being less than stellar just puts us back to where we started, while still worrying about Rittich.

I think the best next step for everyone's psyche is for Rittich to play the Penguins tomorrow, and hopefully get his own swagger back. Smith plays the Coyotes on Monday and you can write the upcoming goalie schedule once the dust has settled there.

We face the Islanders twice there too, so I think teams will want to try and get the same goalie in both games. Works out pretty well as a 1A-1B situation, where you consider Rittich your 1A and start Smith against the Ducks and Senators between Islanders games.

[PugnaciousIntern]

FWIW, teams that run a ‘1A/1B’ are generally actually running a ‘2A/2B’, waiting for someone to step up

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Otto-matic

I'd actually start Smith against the Pens and see if he can carry this performance over. Give Ritter a couple games to reset and focus on the details a bit more.

Which details are those?

[Johnny Makarov]

Well at least last night we got 1 more point than Vegas, San Jose and Winnipeg.

[442scotty]

I don’t think the Flames have a 1A or 1B setup. They are definitely 2A and 2B. Rittich is better than Smith but not a true number 1 .... yet

[PugnaciousIntern]

FWIW, teams that run a ‘1A/1B’ are generally actually running a ‘2A/2B’, waiting for someone to step up

[Teroy]

What, no comments about Gaudreau's lousy play since the all star break!

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Teroy

What, no comments about Gaudreau's lousy play since the all star break!

Gaudreau looked fine last night. He, and the top line is not really the problem. I'll tell you who has been sloppy though. Tkachuk.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Teroy

What, no comments about Gaudreau's lousy play since the all star break!

Super bowl

[Bleeding Red]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Gaudreau looked fine last night. He, and the top line is not really the problem. I'll tell you who has been sloppy though. Tkachuk.

0 points in 7 - may be time to sit him in the press box with a tub of popcorn and tell him to watch Crosby closely. (Or bump him down a line or 2 or off PP1)

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Split98

I'm 50/50 on the next start because
1. He's earned it
2. Up to this point in the season, Rittich had earned it

50% of me hopes that they stick to the schedule, and if Smith plays well again in his next start we shift closer to a 1A-1B situation
50% of me wants to see Smith rewarded for a solid game from start to finish


I worry about anointing Smith after one solid game though, and it comes at a time where I'm a little worried about Rittich as well...

I think concerns about “anointing Smith” are overblown. I could see a repeat of what happened in late November, when Smith played most of the games in a two week stretch while Rittich refocused. My guess is that by mid March at the latest Rittich is back to playing three out of every four once again.

This is what you want from your backup goalie: strong performances if your starter is struggling.


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[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Which details are those?

Whatever it is that is affecting his play most recently. Rittich has not been as good in the past few weeks as he was in the first half of the season.


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[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Whatever it is that is affecting his play most recently. Rittich has not been as good in the past few weeks as he was in the first half of the season.


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Was hoping for insight in to what, not why. Thanks though.

They’re not playing Tampa any more, which should affect goalie play, if Tampa’s second game in a row putting up 6 is any indicator

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I think concerns about “anointing Smith” are overblown. I could see a repeat of what happened in late November, when Smith played most of the games in a two week stretch while Rittich refocused. My guess is that by mid March at the latest Rittich is back to playing three out of every four once again.

This is what you want from your backup goalie: strong performances if your starter is struggling.


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'Anointing' I think just comes from fans and media trying to picture this team going forward. Having a cloud of mystery around your goaltending position feels uneasy, and people just want stable footing. But internally, I'm sure it's game to game and hopefully a collaborative process between the goalies and coaches.

I think with the concerns around BSD, Smith played a great game at a great time for everyone to breathe a touch easier. Understanding how they manage it going forward is fans and media looking for some peace of mind around an area of concern the whole year.

I think the biggest issue is that, outside of this years stats... is Rittich the starter? Or was this Hammond all over again, and we'll need Smith to be more than a backup.

Thankfully, we're having a conversation about Smith I didn't think we'd ever have

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by PugnaciousIntern

FWIW, teams that run a ‘1A/1B’ are generally actually running a ‘2A/2B’, waiting for someone to step up

There's really no such thing as 1A/1B. If you have a 1 your next guy is a 2 end of story. If your 1 isn't good enough to be the full time starter that means he's a 2A and the guy that isn't good enough to steal the job from him is the 2B. That's the Flames situation right now although you could make an argument Rittich is a 2 and Smith should be a 3 despite a pretty solid outing last night.