David Rittich was 88 seconds away from history.
From perfection.
Again.
But William Nylander, who clutched up and twice foiled his bid at victory, had other plans.
Nylander scored the tying goal on a mad scramble in front, before cashing in overtime with a nifty shot off the rush, vaulting the Maple Leafs to a 2-1 victory last night at Scotiabank Arena.
Rittich - who went Full Hasek for the second straight game - finished with 37 stops and was \that\ close to pitching consecutive shutouts for the first time in his career.
Consider this: The last time the Leafs were bagelled in back-to-back games? You'd have to go all the way back to 1930 when Hall-of-Fame puck-stopper Alec Connell accomplished that feat for the original Ottawa Senators.
Still, Rittich was absolutely outstanding and should be commended for his efforts. If not for him, the Flames wouldn't have left the Big Smoke without three of a possible four points.
He was that good.
"When we needed the big stop, he was able to make it," said Head Coach Geoff Ward. "He gave us a chance to win both hockey games. Disappointing for him the way it ended tonight, because he played so well. I thought he was quiet in the net, well focused, I thought his positioning was good, his anticipation was good, his concentration was good. There was a lot to like about his game. He's coming off two strong performances and is a guy that, traditionally, once he starts trending in that direction, he's able to maintain it."
Rittich stopped 71 of 73 shots overall in his two Toronto starts, and now has a .919 save percentage and a 2.19 goals-against average in seven appearances this year.
Confidence has never been an issue for the feisty Czech, but it appears - now - he's running at, or close to, an all-time high.
"It's great," Ward said. "He did an awful lot of work in the summer to get himself prepared. He's spent some time with a mental skills coach to work on his concentration, did some conditioning, did an awful lot of work with his goalie coach. He came back prepared and has handled the situation extremely well, and think he feels comfortable now.
"I really admire of what he's done in terms of putting in the work.
"Kudos to him."
Rittich will get the start in goal again tonight.
Andrew Mangiapane scored Calgary's lone goal - sniping a shot far-side on Michael Hutchinson after getting a pass from Matthew Tkachuk in the slot at 16:33 of the third period.
But it wasn't enough.
"It was an even game tonight, so coming in here and playing against the best team in the division and getting three out of four points is pretty good," said Mikael Backlund. "We'll take it.
"We've got to re-load, reset our mind and prepare for Ottawa, who's been playing well lately."
