If the Calgary Flames are to remain perfect in 2018, a lot will ride on the shoulders of David Rittich.
The backup goalie will get the call on Friday night as the Flames continue their trek through Florida. Calgary faces the Panthers a day after taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1.
It was the Flames' fifth straight win, and their fourth in four tries since the calendar changed over.
🔥 Still undefeated in 2018 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UyRqT2krkf
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 12, 2018
Mike Smith, the Flames' regular starter, was in net for Thursday's impressive victory over the league's best team. Given Calgary's red-hot performances with Smith in goal, head coach Glen Gulutzan could've been tempted to keep the winning formula together. Smith started Calgary's past six games, and another nod against the Panthers would not have raised any eyebrows.
The coach, though, gave credit to the 25-year-old backup for his work ethic while awaiting his next opportunity, and that Rittich deserves that next chance Friday.
"When a guy that competes hard like he does night in and night out for our group, when he gets in there the guys want to play in front of him," Gulutzan said of Rittich. "It's always good to have that kind of goalie. He's going to need to play a good game and that's his job as a backup, to come in on these tougher nights."
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With a 3-1 record and a .924 save percentage, Rittich has proven to be a capable backup to the prolific Smith, who started eight of the last nine games. Rittich has yet to allow more than two goals in any of his starts, impressive despite the small sample size. Also working in Rittich's favour is a Flames team that is firing on all cylinders since the winning streak began on New Year's Eve.
Thursday's demolition of Tampa Bay extended the points streak of several Flames players, with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan notching points in five straight contests, while Micheal Ferland (four) and Dougie Hamilton (three) are also on multi-game point streaks. Against the Panthers, Ferland will also look to score a goal for a fifth-straight game, with the 25-year-old forward pushing his season total to 19 against the Lightning.
"I think our team will be prepared tonight." - Glen Gulutzan on facing Panthers in second game of back to back pic.twitter.com/pRYinNTpLQ
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 12, 2018
Standing in the way of the Flames is a Panthers team coming off a wild 7-4 victory over the tough St. Louis Blues on Jan. 9. The Panthers are just 1-2-1 in their last four after a season-high five-game winning streak.
They pose matchup issues, though, with three 40-point scorers in the lineup -- Jonathan Huberdeau (43), first-time All Star Aleksander Barkov (40) and Vincent Trochek (40).
Opposite Rittich, veteran backup James Reimer starts his 16th consecutive game in goal for the Panthers with No. 1 Roberto Luongo still sidelined by a lower body injury.