Calgary Flames goalie Mike Smith snags wild puck on bench

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Smith flashed the leather with a grab from the bench Wednesday night against the New Jersey Devils.

The Flames rested Smith in favor of backup goalie David Rittich against the Devils, but the 36-year-old veteran found himself making a glove save on his day off.

Devils forward Travis Zajac threw a pass to defenseman Connor Carrick at center ice during the third period. Carrick attempted to dump the puck off the boards but chipped it out of play and into the Flames' bench.

The puck flew directly toward Smith, who calmly snagged the puck and tossed it into the crowd.

Rittich saved 19 of 20 shots for a .950 save percentage in the Flames' 2-1 victory over the Devils. The lone goal allowed by Rittich was Kevin Rooney's short-handed score in the second period.

Smith has a 19-11-2 record in 33 appearances (31 starts) this season. He has a 2.89 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage with two shutouts.

Calgary (41-16-7) sits in first place in the Western Conference with 89 points. The Flames lead the second-seeded San Jose Sharks (37-19-8) by seven points.

The Flames host the Minnesota Wild (31-27-6) on Saturday night.