Coach Peters says Smith should play on this upcoming road trip. Rittich starts tomorrow in Minnesota. Mikael Backlund will also travel with the team on this trip. #Flames
Nation Sites
The Nation Network
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
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.
#Flames at practice today: Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm Tkachuk-Ryan-Bennett Mangiapane-Jankowski-Neal Czarnik-Quine-Hathaway Giordano-Brodie Hanifin-Hamonic Kylington-Andersson
Breaking News
- Flames Prospect Roundup: How the standings shape up entering the holiday break
- NHL Notebook: Sidney Crosby takes sole possession of most points in Penguins’ franchise history
- FlamesNation Mailbag: Waiting for Santa with reader questions
- Flames injury news: positive signs for Martin Pospisil
- Recap: Martin Frk leads Wranglers to memorable Winter Wranglerfest win in more ways than one