Is there a goalie controversy in Detroit?
According to coach Mike Babcock and GM Ken Holland, no. But the numbers suggest that supposed No. 1 Dominik Hasek isn't what he used to be and that the Detroit Red Wings are clearly a better team with "No. 1A" Chris Osgood in net.
Osgood, who turned 35 on Monday, is playing some of the best hockey of his career. He is 11-1-1 after Tuesday's win against the Calgary Flames with an NHL-leading 1.76 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage, which is near the top.
Hasek, meanwhile, will be 43 soon, looks beaten down and already has dealt with a hip injury (NHL Injury Report). And his numbers, .864 save percentage and 2.90 goals-against average, aren't the stuff of a No. 1 goalie on any team, much less a Stanley Cup contender like the Red Wings. He is currently on a three-game losing streak.
However, everyone on the team seems to be giving the right answers on the subject.
"I don't think in terms of numbers," Chris Osgood said. "I don't think in terms of 1 and 2, or 1 and 1A. I've don't say to myself 'Well, Dom's this and I'm that.' Hey, he's one of the greatest goalies ever. I've just never thought of myself as a backup. And I never will. I've won a Stanley Cup. I don't think there's any situation that I haven't had to deal with in 14 years. I've proven myself. I can deal with whatever comes."
Hasek, meanwhile, also is playing the good teammate and supporting Osgood whenever he plays.
"I know I haven't played well, but I feel very good in practice and I feel healthy and that's most important right now," Hasek said. "I was in at the beginning of the year and I didn't play well. Ozzie played great game a few times, most of the time. Right now, I believe when I get back I can play on the highest level again. Then I can play more games in a row, then I will feel even better. ... I have no problem with it."Babcock isn't catering to controversy, either:
"It's always been my understanding this is about the team," Babcock said. "And that's the approach you take with everybody. Dom's been around a hundred years. He knows this, and he also knows how good he is."
And the company line also comes from Holland:
"Early in the year, Dom hasn't played the way he knows he can, the way we know he can. I really think that Dom's going to get it cranked up here. That's been his history. The injury in October set him back, and he's had some bad puck luck. We like both (players). I still expect, come playoff time, that Dom's going to be in net. He's the guy that, last year, was a major factor in us going to the final four. Certainly, we feel good about our 1-2 punch."
But it appears obvious that Chris Osgood has wrested away the No. 1 spot from a now healthy Hasek. Osgood, after all, has won 42 of his past 67 starts since rejoining the Red Wings in 2005-06. And Tuesday's win against the Flames was Osgood's second consecutive start.
"When you've got one guy playing well, you've got to play him. Ozzie's getting us points, so he gets the opportunity (to play)."
Detroit's next game is Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning - bet on it at WagerWeb.com - and it will be interesting to see whom Babcock goes with in net.
Meanwhile, the Red Wings will be without Kris Draper indefinitely after he suffered a sprained left knee Tuesday.
Draper is set for an MRI exam on Wednesday after leaving Tuesday's game against the Flames. The last Red Wing to suffer a sprained knee, Johan Franzen, missed 10 games. Draper was injured when he got tangled with Owen Nolan along the boards; Draper's left leg buckled, and he dropped to the ice, where he lay for a few seconds until play was stopped.
"We're a little concerned right now, but we're hoping that things are going to be real good, and it won't be a big issue," Babcock said.
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