David Rittich Still Has Key Role In Islanders’ Playoff Push
David Rittich’s season hasn’t been perfect, but the Islanders backup proved against Calgary he still has an important role in the team’s playoff push as Ilya Sorokin carries the workload.
New York Islanders backup netminder David Rittich put on a clinic in the third period of Saturday’s 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames.
He turned aside 15 of 17 shots in the final 20 as the Islanders were under siege for most of that period, finishing the night with 30 saves, his most since Dec. 28 in a 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“We need two goalies,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. “I mean, the schedule is tough. It’s tough for everybody, obviously, but when you play a lot of games like we are right now, I mean, back-to-back games and stuff like this. So I think it is important to have two goalies and both playing really well, which is a bonus for you, and that’s exactly what David did tonight.”
After a 9-3-2 start to the season, owning a 2.25 GAA with a .919 SV% through his first 14 games, Rittich’s play dipped. From that Blue Jackets game through his second-to-last start against the Anaheim Ducks, a 5-1 loss, the veteran netminder posted a 3.30 GAA with an .853 SV%.
It was a rough stretch.
But, at this stage of the seas, past numbers don’t mean much. What matters is what you do that night to help your team win a hockey game — like what Rittich did against the Flames.