Quips and Quotes: Flames lose to Sharks 5-2

The Calgary Flames lost to the San Jose Sharks by a 5-2 score on Thursday night. Here are selected reactions from players and coaches following the game.

There were really two big topics of discussion post-game, so let’s dive in!

Flames netminder David Rittich was pulled after allowing two goals on six shots. Following the game, he described what he saw on both of those goals.

On Evander Kane’s goal to make it 1-1: “I saw it in last second, but it hit my stick, my blocker and my heel and went in. So it was unlucky goal for me.”

On Brent Burns’ shorthanded goal to make it 2-1, coming with Rittich playing the puck well outside his crease: “He faked me, he go into boards then he jump right through the middle. It was smart play by him. I probably should’ve just hold it for a second and then try to play it.”

It should be noted that Rittich’s teammates neglected to blame him for the loss. Matthew Tkachuk felt that it was Burns’ sheer size and agility that made the play challenging for the goaltender.

“He’s a large, large man that can cover a lot of ground,” said Tkachuk. “I mean, if that’s anybody else on their team…  it’s just strictly on the fact that Burnsie’s way bigger than everybody… I’ve seen Ritter make that play a bunch this year and a few of them have turned into quick transition for goals the other way, for us. So, we’re not going to tell him not to come out and play that puck.”

Understandably, Rittich didn’t want to chat much about the decision to end his night after six shots and roughly 14 minutes. That said, he did take ownership for that development.

When speaking with the media, Peters explained a few aspects of his rationale behind yanking his top goaltender.

Why did he pull Rittich after two goals? “Just trying to get a spark. I didn’t think we were dialed in exactly system-wise. I thought we could be a little tighter with some things that we were doing. Just trying to get a little spark there, and obviously that didn’t work.”

Is he worried about Rittich not having the chance to bounce back? “No. We talked about putting him back in, too, and decided against it.”

What factors went into the decision to pull him? “We were down two, and he didn’t look comfortable. Didn’t like either goal.”

Despite the setback, Rittich was characteristically positive about moving on from his rough outing.

“Tomorrow is new day, new fun, and it’s a new practice day where you can be better,” said Rittich. “So I’m going home to sleep, and I want to be ready for next game, next practice, and I want to be better than tonight.”

Peters wouldn’t commit to a starting netminder for Saturday’s game in Vancouver, and noted he didn’t know how Travis Hamonic’s hand was doing after he left the game late in the third period.