NHL | The sensational intervention was in vain. But Rittich deserves a new and better contract

For the third time in three years, LA was not enough to start the elimination round against the Oilers. In a match in which there was nowhere left to escape, but the players from California were still cornered and managed to bite. At the beginning of the second period, they took a 2:1 lead, but in less than five minutes they were equalized. Although Edmonton fans just stared as Rittich stopped Draisaitl’s shot on the power play at home.

The German striker exchanged the puck with Connor McDavid a few times, received a pass from the captain in front of the open goal and shot into it without preparation. However, Rittich quickly put the catcher on the ice and hid the puck in it. The crowd at Rogers Place sighed in disappointment, but Draisaitl was clear and went to tap gloves with his teammates on the bench. A repeated shot on the dice then caused excitement in the arena.

From the top view, you can see how Rittich hid the puck in the catcher, but almost all of it got behind the goal line. It is not clear exactly where the puck was in it, but it was enough to award the goal.

“You saw how much special teams matters. It’s quite simple. One team punished in them, the other didn’t,” lamented Kings coach Jim Hiller.

In the series, Edmonton used power plays with a success rate of 45 percent, scoring nine goals in them. Los Angeles not one of the 12 options. “Against a team like that, you have to play five-on-five as much as possible. And in the last match, they had five overtimes anyway, and we had one. Every year the same scenario repeats itself with them. So if there’s one thing we should change, it’s less penalties,” lamented Kings forward Phillip Danault.

In the flood of sadness from the elimination, however, it should not be lost in LA that Rittich experienced statistically the best season during his time in the NHL. In the regular season, in 24 games, he reduced the goal average to 2.15, on the contrary, he increased the success rate to 92.1 percent and scored three clean sheets!

For a more than solid performance, the 31-year-old goalkeeper undoubtedly deserves a new and significantly better contract than the last one ($875,000 per year). Whether it’s in Los Angeles or on the open market.