Is sitting Rittich the right move for the Calgary Flames?

There might be a goaltending controversy brewing. The Calgary Flames are letting Cam Talbot start back to back games for the first time this season.

The Calgary Flames hosted the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, and goaltender Cam Talbot earned himself back to back starts for the first time as a Flame. The start comes as no surprise, as Talbot has been much better of late.

Talbot had a slow start to the season, but he now boasts a .923% save percentage, which puts him at 10th in the league among goalies with at least 10 appearances. He also has a record of 6-7-0. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but Talbot is coming off of his most complete game of the season.

He stopped 31 of 32 shots faced against Chicago and was the sole reason the Flames came out of the windy city with a win. Now that Talbot is playing with more confidence, and the Flames are showing faith in him, what about David Rittich?

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Rittich has certainly struggled as of late. In his last three starts with the Flames, he has allowed nine goals total in the first period. Those nine goals in three first periods came against the Canucks, Blackhawks, and most recently, the Wild. Rittich’s record with the Flames is still impressive though. He is 18-10-5, and it’s his first full season as a starting goalie, but with Talbot heating up, there seems to be some competition in the crease.

If the Calgary Flames are to make the playoffs this season, it’s almost a guarantee that Rittich is the starting goalie for game one, but it doesn’t hurt to ride Cam Talbot down the stretch. The last thing the Flames want is Rittich to enter the postseason feeling mentally and physically worn out from the regular season.

With Talbot alleviating some of the workload, this gives Rittich a little more time to rest up, because we all know the season is long and difficult. Flames fans know all too well what it’s like to enter the playoffs with an overworked goalie, Miikka Kiprusoff was a workhorse in net for years here.

David Rittich’s job as starting goalie is not in jeopardy, not even close. He will rebound from this slump. At the start of the season, many were questioning if the Flames had made the right move in acquiring Talbot and if Rittich would have to handle the majority of the work.

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Now that Talbot has proven he can compete, and steal games for his team, the answer is clear. Flames fans don’t need to panic. Having two goalies that you can rely on and trust on any given night down the stretch truly is the perfect storm for the Flames.

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