Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
I am getting sick of the narratives being driven for both goalies in several directions. This requires no apology:
· Smith has had a bad year, but is not so terrible that he can no longer play.
· Rittich DID obviously struggle last year when Smith was injured, but has been excellent for most of this season.
· Both goalies have been much better on the road than at home.
· With Rittich's inexperience, the uncertainty surrounding his ability to handle increased pressure, and Smith's age and poor performance to date there are legitimate concerns about goaltending heading into the playoffs.
· The Flames don't have much recourse but to do their best to manage both, and to hope that Rittich can do the job.
It's okay to recognize that both of the Flames two goalies are not without their own shortcomings; both have questions to answer over the course of the next few months.
|
Your points are fair. But we are well into the season and we can say that Rittich has been one of the best goalies in the NHL and Mike Smith has been one of the worst goalies in the NHL up to this point. The Flames have a better chance of winning with Rittich starting than with Smith starting.
Given this is the case, Smith getting starts, especially after a nine-day break, is quite justifiably being questioned. Perhaps the coaching staff and management want to see whether Smith can be trusted going into the trade deadline.
