Flames' leaky goaltending continues with 4th straight loss

Regardless of how good a team is, losing a starting goalie can be a crippling blow. So, when Calgary Flames' No. 1 netminder Mike Smith went down with injury on Feb. 11, it's safe to say the expectation was for the team to struggle.

And struggle they have.

With unproven NHL goaltenders David Rittich and Jon Gillies as the backup options, a netminding tandem that owns just two combined starts prior to this season, Calgary has seen itself fall out of a playoff spot with losses in eight of its 11 games since Smith went down.

The Flames lost a close one Monday night to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Gillies allowed four goals and looked completely lost at times, and Rittich hasn't fared much better.

Take a look at both of their numbers since Smith's injury. Forewarning: it's not exactly pretty.

It should be noted Gillies has been the better guy in the blue paint, but that's not exactly saying much as his two wins came against the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche.

The Flames currently sit three points adrift of the final Western Conference wild-card slot with 15 games remaining, so they are very much still in contention for postseason puck.

However, Smith's timetable for return is still unclear, and he has yet to be activated from injured reserve. Calgary, therefore, will likely have to get the job done by relying on their shaky duo down the stretch.

The Flames are next in action when they visit the red-hot Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.

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