Outsider

Yes. We have. And of the "good" Teams we've faced, Osgood has gotten the tougher of the assignments. I gave him credit for Phoenix. I give him credit for tonight. Now, kindly advise as to how it is you think the Wings "should" have lost this Game? They outplayed a tired Colorado Team which played last night.....all night. This was a total Team effort. I'm gonna go ahead and doubt that. It's what I do for a living...... Conklin has never been, nor will ever be, a Starter. Not anywhere. Period. He's a career back-up. Howard was fantastic in Training Camp last year, but wasn't going to unseat Conklin. Period. And of course they're grooming Howard. That is why they're coddling him along....building his confidence....and putting him in the best possible position to succeed. Osgood faced off against Chicago and Nashville recently. Your assertion that Babcock isn't playing Osgood against the better Teams "anymore" is false. We'll see, I suppose. We shall see.

Howard played well enough tonight. The difference tonight from so many other nights, against so many other opponents, is that the WINGS played well. They controlled the Game from puck drop to final horn. This was the most complete Game they've played in a long time. However, Howard earned the Win tonight. He did his job. I give him full credit for tonight's game. And yes....against a quality opponent.

By the way.... Happy New Year, Wings fans!

They're very young. They're very inexperienced. And they played last night, too. Thank GOD! The Wings needed this Win.

Excellent Win!

HELMER WITH TWO! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

DIVE!

This is more like it! They're playing like they want it. FINALLY! And finally....some puck luck. On BOTH sides of the ice.

That's good! That's gonna count!

TOLD YA!

Besides, as floppy as Howard is, he's been good in shoot-outs.

Stop that! They WILL Win. In regulation!

Jesus H. Christo on a pogo-stick..... I cannot STAND Darcy Tucker. <rage>

FRACK! DAMNIT!

That was a legit call.

Now THAT was a good save by Howard! Excellent job!

Flip looks good.

Your stats can be skewed to support your POV, as well. As previously stated....How many goals are Howard's opponents scoring.....NOW...CURRENTLY. Much like the Wings, who were scoring PLENTY in the beginning of the year.....Howard's opponents have tailed off drastically in the goal scoring department. Columbus is scoring fewer goals in the past MONTH than Detroit. And that's saying something. The fact is that you cannot concede the basic, obvious fact....that's right.....fact.....that Howard has faced weaker competion, regardless of the reason. You keep touting the fact that Howard "cannot control" who he faces. That doesn't change the fact....there's that word again.....that he IS facing weaker competition. Consistently. And when he's faced "tougher" competition? He's not fared nearly as well. That's as telling as his record and stats against the cellar dwellers of the League. To be fair, he's playing against a relatively decent Team tonight. Has he really been challenged? Once? Honestly? Or has his Team pretty much taken over this Game?

That is perhaps the most inane thing I've read in a very, very long time.

Firstly: You have to go all the way back to to early November to find a time when Osgood was getting Starts....PERIOD. Secondly: You have to go all the way back to early November to find a time when there were any "good" Teams consistently on the schedule.....at ALL. When they have come up, Osgood has been the one to face them. Look at the schedule. He faced Chicago because Osgood did NOT meet Babcock's expectations in his Game against them. What did Babcock say in the article on the first page? "If Ozzie had had a good night the other night, (against Chicago), he'd be starting....." Babcock expected "outstanding" goaltending, (his exact words...not mine). He didn't get it. Howard got the Start against Chicago on the SECOND try...when they were coming in tired, on the road, and on the second night of b-2-b games. Howard failed similarly. And I've already stated that Howard is getting the Starts that Osgood "wants" because he's being used.....much like Conklin was, last Season.....as a "stick" for Osgood. READ what Babcock is saying. Read between the lines. They match, almost verbatim, the comments Babcock was making last Season when he was "poking" Osgood in an attempt to ramp him up for the Play Offs. Of course he doesn't control who he plays. Babcock does. And Babcock has consistently started him against the weak Teams in the League. And yes. I do believe it. And I'm not the only one who's noticed it.

Now stop that. That's just..... Uncanny.

The guys look good tonight. They actually look pretty damned good. Hopefully they're pulling it together. Finally.

To be honest, mindfly.... He's done nothing more than he's been doing. It's just that Colorado has a better nose for the net than most of the Teams he's been facing lately. Rafalski saved him from the same situation twice last game. Helm once a few games ago.

Really?

Helmer! Wow..... Looks like the Wings have shown up tonight. Excellent job.