David Rittich starts on Saturday, Backlund and Smith on road trip

The Calgary Flames hit the practice ice on Friday morning in advance of their three-game Central Division road trip. Despite all the roster shuffling, there was some encouraging news from the skate.

David Rittich starts for the Flames on Saturday morning against the Minnesota Wild. Jon Gillies will dress as his backup. Beyond that, the goaltending situation is a bit up in the air. Mike Smith isn’t on the injured reserve, so there aren’t any restrictions on whether he can play (other than medical ones).

Per Steinberg, Mikael Backlund was a full participant in morning skate but didn’t skate on a line. He’s not going to play tomorrow, but seems a possibility for later on during the trip. He’s been on the injured reserve list for a week already, so he’s eligible to be activated at any time.