ANAHEIM — Bill Peters says he still doesn’t know who his starting goalie will be to open the playoffs.
Like the rest of the hockey world, he insists he too is debating the relative merits of starting either Mike Smith or David Rittich. The smart money has Peters turning to Mike Smith, like he did Sunday when the Flames had all hands on deck to clinch the conference in San Jose.
That assignment was the biggest clue Peters feels Smith is the right man for the upcoming occasion. But don’t expect him to confirm anything until the last possible minute.
“You guys won’t know until game day (to open the playoffs) and I might not even tell you then,” laughed the Flames coach, clearly enjoying the “mystery” surrounding his masked men.
“I’ll have both guys come off the same time (after morning day skate) and you guys will say, ‘Who is the goalie?’ and I’ll say, ‘I don’t know.’”
Sunday’s win was Smith’s eighth in his last 12 outings, prolonging a string of starts the last six weeks that has him sporting a sparkling 1.86 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
He has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of those 12 starts, yet insists he too is in the dark as to what his playoff status is.
When told Peters said he won’t know his starter until opening night, Smith chuckled.
“Neither will we,” said Smith, who watched Monday’s mop-up game at the Staples Center from the bench while Rittich made 23 saves in a 7-2 win.
“He hasn’t said anything.”
Is that normal?
“I wouldn’t say it’s normal but it’s the way Bill does it,” said Smith, who has been through all sorts of duo dilemmas in his career. “Just be ready. You never know when your name is going to be called. That’s been a challenging part of the season but also a learning curve too.
“It’s definitely been something that, as a guy who wants to play every game, is something that’s not ideal, but that’s the way it is.”
Given the way he’s played of late, Smith has certainly earned the nod that will be a controversial one in Calgary, where fans can’t seem to get over the poor finish Smith had last year, followed by the tough start he opened with this fall.
His wizardry as the league’s premier stickhandling goalie makes fans nervous, no matter how many times he diffuses offensive forays by the opposition.
Rittich is the people’s choice as they see shades of Miikka Kiprusoff in the 26-year-old Czech free-agent signing who came out of nowhere last year to emerge as the club’s goalie of the future.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen — I really don’t,” said Peters, whose division-winning club will ice another skeleton squad Wednesday in Anaheim. “There’s injuries, there’s suspensions, there’s line brawls, there’s goalies [getting] sick. I’ve got a couple guys got the crud off the day off, coming in looking for medication. Smitty got ran the other day, that could have ended up in an injury. So I just take it one day at a time.”
Those days are over.
With two filler games against bottom feeders to round out the schedule, both will likely get a start. The plan is to play all his big guns Saturday at home against Edmonton, which should provide another hint as to which way he’s leaning.
Rittich has slowed from his red-hot start to the season, but has gone 7-3 his last 10, allowing more than two goals just three times in that span. Impressive as well.
The Flames’ first-round opposition will play a role in his decision, as Peters values matchups. Rittich played all three games against Colorado, going 3-0, while Smith played all four against his former team in Arizona and went 3-1.
Roughly 20 games into the season, it became a mug’s game trying to figure out who Peters would start on any given night. Since Christmas, each goalie has been given the opportunity to go on long runs, fooling legions into believing Peters and the organization were steering one way or another.
And that’s just the way Peters likes it.
One thing Peters is making known is that he has no plans to alternate goalies or ride the hot hand.
“We want one guy,” insisted Peters.
It’s wishful thinking as an increasing number of Stanley Cup Playoff runs of late have included significant starts from both goalies on the roster.
Regardless of how long Calgary’s run lasts, you can bet they’ll use both goalies.
A nod to Smith would say a lot about his character as his season’s start was shaky at best, forcing him to dig deep in search of solutions.
“I’ve played my best hockey as of late and I think that’s when you want to be at your best, when you’re going into the most important games of the season,” said Smith, whose last playoff action saw him accrue a 1.99 goals-against average and .944 save percentage to get the Coyotes into the 2012 west final, earning him the sizeable six-year deal that expires this summer.
“I feel like my game is at a good spot right now and I want to keep that going. There have been some ups and down this year but I think consistently in the second half I’ve played some really good hockey.”
“It made me stronger mentally and hopefully that can carry us in the playoffs and play our best hockey when it means the most.”
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