Oct 23, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goalie Jonas Hiller (1) celebrates win with teammates. With the #1 goalie tag now officially on Mr. Hiller, let’s keep those celebrations coming! Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Jonas Hiller, 6 games into his career as a Calgary Flames goaltender, boasts a 3-2-1 record with a sparkling 1.63 goals against average and an incredible .948 save percentage. Apparently that is how you convince your head coach to breakaway from the season long platoon he was using between his two goaltenders.
Quote from Calgary Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley taken from CalgaryFlames.com:
"“We have two goalies that are capable of winning games for us, so you might see a string where [Hiller] will go three, four games in a row and then the wind’s going to change and (Ramo) going to go for a string of games,” Hartley said. “We have no set pattern right now. Right now, you play well, you win, you stay. You play bad, you give the net to your partner.“That’s okay. I think that they’re two great friends and we’re going to instill a healthy competition out there. The sad part of hockey: there’s only one net and you have two goalies.”"
I have said all along that Jonas Hiller is the #1 goalie in Calgary, even made a video, but Karri Ramo has put a valiant October numbers.
Of 29 goalies with at least 5 starts, Ramo’s 2.38 goals against average ranks 11th while his .914 save percentage ranks 16th. Very respectable numbers for a backup goalie.
Now let’s beat Nashville on Friday and call it a great October!!