Thursday, April 16, 2009

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In Detroit's Playoff opener tonight, they played a much younger, and less experienced Blue Jacket squad. Detroit is a heavy favourite, and ended up winning 4-1, but the match up that was most hyped was between the pipes. Rookie sensation Steve Mason vs. crafty veteran Chris Osgood.

Osgood has been telling us for weeks that much like flipping a switch, he'll be able to turn up his game for the playoffs. Looks like the Detroit goaltender is a man of his word.

The Wings have never been a team that needs their goaltender to steal a game for them, but they do need a goalie who can make a big save at a key moment in any given game. There is nothing that crushes a team's morale more than when you pepper the opposing netminder for 4-5 shots on one shift, only to have the other team skate down and score a weak one. There have been games this season where Detroit wasn't getting that type of steady goaltending, and you could see the team stumble as a result. With critics questioning the skill level in net for the defending champs, Ozzie looked like he had something to prove.

Last playoff, Chris Osgood boasted some impressive numbers;
GP W L GA GAA Sv% SO
19 14 4 30 1.55 .930 3

We'll see what he can do this year.

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