Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Playoff Hopes For The Calgary Flames May Depend On The Play Of Mike Smith

09/25/2018 at 8:17am EDT

from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,

Given his advanced age and injury history, Smith represents the biggest question mark as the Flames look to bounce back into the playoffs.

Should he return to being the all-star he was the first half of last season, the Flames needn’t worry as much about the unproven backup goaltending Jon Gillies or David Rittich will supply.

However, should he come up lame with a groin-area injury as he did last February, this team could be in trouble.

"I just tried to do too much," said Smith in an honest assessment of why, upon his return late last season, he struggled mightily to right a sinking ship.

"Sometimes it’s hard not to. With the mentality I have it sort of creeps into my game every once in awhile. I’m still learning at age 36.

"I’ll apply that to this year and worry about things I can control. It was frustrating not making the playoffs and I think the group in here is motivated to turn that around this year."

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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