I've always said attitude dictates altitude. This saying applies especially to goalies.
As the Calgary Flames transition to David Rittich from Mike Smith as the No. 1 goalie, they need a positive attitude from each while trying to hold on to the top spot in the Western Conference.
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Rittich, who is 20-4-4 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .918 save percentage this season, has started eight of the 13 games since Jan. 1, going 7-0-1.
Smith, the No. 1 at the start of the season, is 14-10-1, with a 3.08 GAA and .889 save percentage. He is 3-2-0 since Jan. 1.
I should stress that I'm not in that dressing room, but drawing from my past experiences, these are my observations on what might be happening with this goalie situation
Each coach handles his goalie rotation differently.
During my time working with Mike Keenan in Calgary, he lived and died with his No. 1 goalie, so there was never any doubt
Miikka Kiprusoff
would start on most nights. Darryl Sutter would generally make his decision about the starting goalie on a game-by-game basis.
However, while with the Carolina Hurricanes under Bill Peters, now the coach of the Flames, we would have a discussion as a staff about the lineup, including the starting goalie. I needed to be ready to present my case based on key factors that would allow us to be the most competitive for the next game.
There are many elements that can influence the decision to play a certain goalie.
When is the next game? Did the goalie win his last game and feel confident? How does the goalie who last played feel, physically and mentally? Is there a back-to-back scenario? Is travel involved and, if so, is a change in time zones involved? Was the previous game physically demanding? Does our No. 1 goalie usually recover well after a game? Do we want to play our best puck-handling goalie against a strong forechecking team?
The initial plan this season with Smith, who has dealt with injuries in the past, in part due to a heavy workload, was to decrease his starts to help him remain healthy throughout the season.
Consecutive starts for Smith early in the season were designed to allow him to find consistency, but it took longer than expected.
Meanwhile, Rittich was solid each time he played, earning more frequent starts as a result.
Due to the urgency to collect points, I believe the coaching staff moved further from helping Smith find his game to using Rittich as the more in-form option.