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Cam Talbot just got a shutout, why isn’t he starting against Chicago?

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Photo credit:Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Pike
4 years ago
On Thursday night in Anaheim, Cam Talbot made 44 saves to earn the Calgary Flames a shutout victory over the Ducks. On Saturday morning, David Rittich was in the starter’s net for morning skate against Chicago.
We were curious about the decision-making process when it came to choosing a starting goalie, so we asked interim head coach Geoff Ward.
On the road trip, Ward praised his goaltenders and the depth at the position. At this time of year, is it important to keep both guys active and engaged to keep them sharp?
That’s a critical thing for us. Just got to make sure both guys are playing. We’ve got to get both of them in the net every week so that they’re both fresh, they’re both going. And for me, one of the most important things for us is the battle we get out of the goaltending position, and you’ve got to be fresh in order to battle as hard as you need to. So, that even makes it more important that we’re getting both guys in and the fact that we know whichever goalie we go with, they’re giving us a chance to win, our team has confidence playing in front of either guy. And we will use them, but that’s the key thing, we don’t want either guy sitting for a long period of time right now.
What’s the conversation like with Cam Talbot when he’s told he’s not starting after his performance against Anaheim? Does he understand the mindset behind the decision?
He understands totally. And I think it’s easier for him when he knows he’s getting right back in again. So, he knows he’s going to play this week. The important thing for us is we have to make those decisions with respect to how we feel is the best for the hockey team. On another night, if the games were spread out differently then he would definitely get the start tonight, but with how close the games are together now we want to make sure that we’re maximizing the energy of our goaltending position and we feel that this gives us that opportunity.
Rittich makes his 43rd start of the season against Chicago. He’s 22-15-5 with a .910 save percentage, .915 even strength save percentage, 2.87 goals against average and two shutouts. Talbot is 8-8-1 with a .924 save percentage, .934 even strength save percentage, 2.57 goals against average and one shutout.
Presumably Talbot will start on Monday afternoon against Anaheim.

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