Talbot takes blame for Flames' loss, understands why he was pulled

Cam Talbot is taking the fall for the Calgary Flames' collapse in Thursday's Game 6 against the Dallas Stars.

The Flames had an early 3-0 lead in the opening frame but allowed seven unanswered goals en route to their playoff exit. Talbot allowed three goals before he was temporarily pulled, with David Rittich replacing him early in the second period.

"It was a 3-0 hockey game for us, and I'd been there all playoffs for us, and when we needed it the most, I wasn't there," Talbot told NHL.com's Tim Campbell. "Some of the shots are obviously savable, and the onus is on me there. As much as I hated getting pulled, the momentum was changing, and (head coach Geoff Ward) had to do something.

"Can't say I blame him. I would have done the same thing if I was him."

After being pulled, Talbot went straight to the dressing room for five or 10 minutes to "calm down" because he didn't want to bring negativity to the bench, he told TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

Rittich - who was making his first career playoff appearance - promptly allowed three goals on nine shots before Talbot came back out to start the final frame.

Ward said he intended to put Talbot right back in the game, but the netminder had an equipment issue and wasn't available. Talbot returned to the bench before the end of the second period, but Ward stuck with Rittich.

"No, I don't think I made a mistake," Ward told Campbell. "Originally, the plan was to get him out, get him refocused, and get him back in. The goals were a little bit unfortunate, and I just felt like we needed to change momentum, and that was the initial thought on how to do it."

Flames captain Mark Giordano stood up for the starting goaltender postgame.

"He's the reason why we're here," Giordano said. "How many games did he win for us in this little run we had? Right back to (the Winnipeg Jets series), to the 2-0 game in this series that he stole for us. My view was nothing more than a few tough bounces. I was happy to see (Talbot) get the third because he deserves to go right back in there to battle with us because he's been our best player for the entire playoffs."

Talbot posted a 2.42 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage, and two shutouts in 10 games this postseason. The 33-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent.