Calgary Flames Goaltending Situation Continues To Intrigue

In the space of two games, the Calgary Flames goaltending situation just got a little challenging once more, with Jonas Hiller on a hot streak.

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It wasn’t so long ago that we saw Karri Ramo struggling to find form and demoted to the American Hockey League, Joni Ortio bounced between the Calgary Flames and Stockton Heat like a tennis ball and Jonas Hiller showing the complete opposite of the form that helped spur last season’s play-off run.

Now look at the picture and Karri Ramo has hit his stride sitting on a .910 save percentage and comfortable 2.61 goals against average; he has back-stopped the Calgary Flames to wins in half the games he’s played this season and proven that he can step it up when relied upon.

Jonas Hiller had an ugly start to the season and didn’t seem to have recovered when he returned from an injury layoff; however in the past two games for the Calgary Flames, he’s dropped just one goal in regulation time.

He proved incredibly solid between the pipes for the Calgary Flames against the Edmonton Oilers, dishing out a 36 save night only to go down in the shoot-out; all this after a shut-out in the 6-0 drubbing of the Florida Panthers.

A hot streak is a great thing, especially when you’re between the pipes, it helps with the most important trait of a tender’s game – confidence.

Calgary Flames head coach, Bob Hartley summed up what everyone was thinking about a goaltending picture that hasn’t always been so clear. “We’re very fortunate because we have two guys who can carry the load for us,” he said in an interview with Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun.

With the Calgary Flames latest road trip due to commence and Hiller not hiding the fact he was displeased at bench-warming, he’ll be delighted to have another start, as reported by Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The FAN:

Hiller starts on Tuesday. #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) January 17, 2016

It’s quite possible now that Karri Ramo and Jonas Hiller could find themselves trading places for the rest of the season; should one’s form dip, the hope will be that the other picks up where they left off.

There’s certainly worse dilemmas to have, not least of all the fact that goaltending was one of the biggest dilemmas for the Calgary Flames only a short three months ago, as we discussed.

The dilemma for the Calgary Flames now turns to which goaltenders get retained as we near trade deadline and whether any get dealt. On current form, there’s certainly some degree of riches available for their form.

Let’s hope that the Calgary Flames net continues to be protected as well as it has been of late.

Next: Why The Flames Powerplay Is Killing Them

What do you think of the goaltending scenario playing out with the Calgary Flames of late? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com.