Puck Prose
Fansided

Calgary Flames: Cam Talbot showing signs of improvement in preseason

By Jayden Wasney

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 22: Goaltender Cam Talbot #33 of the Philadelphia Flyers makes a save during a team practice session at Lincoln Financial Field on February 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 22: Goaltender Cam Talbot #33 of the Philadelphia Flyers makes a save during a team practice session at Lincoln Financial Field on February 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Things are looking good for veteran goalie Cam Talbot as he’s making some good strides so far this preseason with the Calgary Flames.

When Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving signed 32-year-old goalie Cam Talbot to a one year deal, a lot of people were left questioning what version of Cam Talbot the Flames were going to get. In the 2016-17 season, Talbot and the Oilers finished 2nd in the Pacific Division and went all the way to Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinal, where they would eventually lose 2-1 to the Anaheim Ducks.

That season, Talbot put up 42 wins, 22 losses, and 8 losses in extra time. It was a season to remember for him and his team. Fast forward a year to 2017-18, and Talbot began to start declining slightly. He finished the year with 31 wins, 31 losses, and 3 extra time losses. The Oilers ultimately missed the postseason. The 2018-19 season was supposed to be a bounce-back year for the entire team, especially Talbot who had proven so much just two seasons prior.

Things didn’t pan out the way anyone had hoped, though. Talbot’s save percentage dipped down to .892% in Edmonton, before he was eventually traded to the Flyers after dressing 31 games with the Oilers, where he put up just 10 wins and 15 losses. Talbot dressed just four games for the Philadelphia Flyers and saw his save percentage drop to a new low, just .881%. His contract expired as the season came to a close, and the Flyers chose not to re-sign him.

More from Puck Prose

This year is being described as a fresh start by Talbot with his new team, where he will likely split the crease duty with Flames up and coming goalie, David Rittich.

What the Flames have seen from Talbot so far, is that he’s hungry to prove his doubters wrong. Talbot dropped the ball on his first preseason tilt, where he came in relief of David Rittich who only faced only 4 shots through just over 32 minutes.

Talbot let in 3 goals on 9 shots that night, and he looked rusty. He had a fairly veteran Flames team in front of him too.

Talbot’s next game came in Winnipeg on September 22nd against the Jets. The Flames dressed a very young team that night, and Talbot stopped 25 shots. A much better game from him personally, despite the 4-1 loss. He certainly wasn’t to blame. Last night Talbot played 40 minutes against the Sharks in San Jose, and my goodness, was he ever dialed in. Talbot stopped all 24 shots he faced through 40 minutes before giving up the crease to youngster Artyom Zagidulin, who let in 4 third period goals.

Thursday’s game was a huge shining moment for Talbot. He was battling hard against a Sharks roster that looked more like a regular-season lineup when the Flames essentially dressed an AHL roster. He looked so sharp and tracked all plays well. Heading into the regular season, that’s a game Talbot should be proud of. Despite not knowing who the starter will be vs the Oilers on Saturday, both Rittich and Talbot are looking ready to get into the regular season, and show fans and management that this tandem can be successful for Calgary.

Home/Calgary Flames