Chris Osgood proves Jimmy Howard should be in goal for Red Wings

[Dominator2005 558]

Chris Osgood proves Jimmy Howard should be in goal for Red Wings

http://blog.mlive.com/ottoman-empire/2010/...mmy_howard.html

Chris Osgood was anything but sharp last night in the Red Wings' 5-2 loss to Minnesota, allowing three goals on the first six Wild shots.

I hear all the arguments defending Osgood – he's rusty because he has only two starts since Christmas; Minnesota scored twice on the power play, and you can't blame him for that; the defense isn't helping him out enough; Ozzie has won in the past and will heat up when the team really needs him.

There's another word for "arguments," and it's "excuses." As my dad The Commander always says "I don't want excuses, I want results." The results certainly tell the entire story.

When Jimmy Howard settled into the starting job earlier this season, Osgood knew that he was going to get very few opportunities to prove this job is his. He had to step up every chance he could to earn more ice time. In his last nine appearances, Osgood has allowed fewer than three goals just twice.

If Ozzie is waiting for the the right time to heat up, that time is now. Detroit needs every point it can get to even make it into the playoffs. Unlike the last few years, the Wings have no room for error, and no time to let a goalie shake off the rust.

At some point, every goalie has to stand up and win a game for his team, even if he's facing 40 shots and getting zero help from his defense. There is no evidence that Ozzie can do that anymore.

Coach Mike Babcock has been very consistent in playing the goalie that gives his team the best chance to win. The choice is obvious. Chris Osgood is proving that the guy Detroit must pin their hopes on is Jimmy Howard.

Shaky Chris Osgood

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...s_shaky_ch.html

Jimmy Howard is our # 1

[Jesusberg 1,256]

Just read this and completely agree with it. While the defense let down the goaltenders in the past two games, Jimmy made some really great saves Tuesday night, while Osgood let in some really s***ty goals last night. A large part of why people are bashing Ozzie is because he opened his big mouth to the media about not playing, and then stunk it up when he got a shot. Like the article said, he's let in 3+ goals in 7 of 9 games. That's just not good enough.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

I'm surprised there were no "Shaky Howard" articles when the Wings collapsed in the last few games with him in net.

Oh that's right...because THE GOALTENDING HASN'T BEEN THE PROBLEM.

[Fatsyuk 1]

You're nothing without green man.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I'm surprised there were no "Shaky Howard" articles when the Wings collapsed in the last few games with him in net.

Oh that's right...because THE GOALTENDING HASN'T BEEN THE PROBLEM.

I disagree, because I think last night when we were tied and then even down by 1 goal, you could still tell we were pressing and skating our asses off... when Osgood let in that junk 4th goal, you could really tell it took the wind out of our sails...

The first goal, not his fault at ALL, the 2nd and 3rd goals he COULD have had(50/50) and the 4th SHOULD have been stopped and by the 5th.... who cares....

The point is, he stops the ones he should, and stops ONE of those he COULD have and we have a very different game...

You can always tell on the difference of the play of a team in front of a goalie they have confidence in and when they don't... and the fact is, when ANY team plays too careful... it has negative effects...

Edited January 28, 2010 by stevkrause

[rick zombo 3,739]

My opinion is......

Howard's lateral movement in 150% better than Ozzies'.

He would have had goals 4 and 5.

And most likely, Miettenen's second goal would have hit Howard's left shoulder.

But this is just specualtion.

[interminded 1]

There's another word for "arguments," and it's "excuses." As my dad The Commander always says "I don't want excuses, I want results." The results certainly tell the entire story.

If someone writes crap likes this, it makes it quite hard for me to take him seriously.

I don't want excuses, I want results ???? What is this ? Full Metal Jacket ??

Dumb F.

[rage 24]

Oh please. We went through this last year. He'll be fine.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

The goaltending has been no more shaky than the team defense.

[digitaljohn88 4]

My opinion is......

Howard's lateral movement in 150% better than Ozzies'.

He would have had goals 4 and 5.

And most likely, Miettenen's second goal would have hit Howard's left shoulder.

But this is just specualtion.

Analysis like this is pretty dangerous. Ozzy did actually make a few really good stops, and it just doesn't work to guess which ones either guy would have let in.

IMO, the team would have let either guy down. Howard having a really good game probably would have still let in 3-4, maybe even 5. Who knows.

I just don't like the way Babcock handles our goalies. Howard has been clearly better and I agree that he should have been and continue to start 80% of the games. The problem is that Howard now looks burned out from starting near 20 in a row, and Osgood is still struggling - month-long gaps in play can't be helping that.

4 games for Howard, 1 game for Osgood, rinse and repeat for the rest of the season unless something changes. I would wager that both of our guys would be playing better if we had been doing that for the last couple of months.

[interminded 1]

My opinion is......

Howard's lateral movement in 150% better than Ozzies'.

He would have had goals 4 and 5.

And most likely, Miettenen's second goal would have hit Howard's left shoulder.

But this is just specualtion.

Just a little...

[FinWing 26]

The goaltending has been no more shaky than the team defense.

Both of which have been equally inconsistent with the scoring...

[stevkrause 1,247]

My opinion is......

Howard's lateral movement in 150% better than Ozzies'.

He would have had goals 4 and 5.

And most likely, Miettenen's second goal would have hit Howard's left shoulder.

But this is just specualtion.

Agreed... there's a lot to be said about just flat out size too... it was different when Ozzie was younger and could move faster and make up for his size, but he's lost a step and you can tell...

There's a reason why Jeff Lerg wasn't drafted after his STELLAR career at MSU... The NHL is a tall, athletic goalies league (Brodeur, Miller, Luongo, etc....)

Howard is over 6'... Ozzie is only 5'10...

Of the top 10 SV% leading goalies in the NHL right now, only ONE of them is under 6' (Halak in MTL is 5'11")

it's not coincidence...

Edited January 28, 2010 by stevkrause

[henrik40 76]

I don't think Ozzie had a chance on any of the first 3. More blame lies with our offense though. How many games can you win scoring 2 goals a game? Not many.

[Mors 201]

I agree with the article, you can't completely blame Osgood, but at the same time come on...3 goals on the first 6 shots and 5 in 18? Not good.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

I disagree, because I think last night when we were tied and then even down by 1 goal, you could still tell we were pressing and skating our asses off... when Osgood let in that junk 4th goal, you could really tell it took the wind out of our sails...

The first goal, not his fault at ALL, the 2nd and 3rd goals he COULD have had(50/50) and the 4th SHOULD have been stopped and by the 5th.... who cares....

The point is, he stops the ones he should, and stops ONE of those he COULD have and we have a very different game...

You can always tell on the difference of the play of a team in front of a goalie they have confidence in and when they don't... and the fact is, when ANY team plays too careful... it has negative effects...

Osgood had plenty of odd man rushes that he was more than capable of stopping.

It is all about hindsight. Howard has helped Detroit in these last few games no better than Osgood has.

And that has nothing to do with the goaltending. Detroit is just collapsing and using the goaltending as a crutch. When they are paid as much as they are, you can't do that.

[Echolalia 2,961]

While you can say that Ozzie (and Howard, also) have been left to dry way too much in any number of games this year, Howard has been finding ways on most nights to keep the Wings in the game. Osgood, whether you want to blame him or not, is having pucks get behind him. Maybe its rust, maybe its that he's old, maybe its that the team doesn't play good in front of him, whatever you want to believe is perfectly justifiable, but in the end when he's in net the puck is in the net also. That alone is reason enough for Babcock to continue to ride Howard.

[Yellowknife Redwing 57]

I'm surprised there were no "Shaky Howard" articles when the Wings collapsed in the last few games with him in net.

Oh that's right...because THE GOALTENDING HASN'T BEEN THE PROBLEM.

I appreciate the sentiment and I respect your opinions, but you've got blinders on right now.

Can you imagine what our record would be like right now if Chris Osgood had been in net for the majority of our starts in the last little while? That 51 shot barrage in LA would have been an absolute ******* massacre with Osgood in net. You can say what you want about Howard losing just as many games as Osgood lately, but the difference in those losses is this: Howard gives this team a chance to win right now and Osgood doesn't. Howard stands on his head when he has to, has very rarely allowed what you'd call a "soft" goal and he competes like hell on every single play. Watching Latendresse's goal from last night made me sick. Osgood was way out of position, had zero lateral mobility and didn't even try to make a save. I feel more confident watching Jim Howard leave the puck behind the net for the D than I do watching Osgood field the puck outside his crease because 4 times out of 5 it results in a giveaway. This is Osgood's 3rd shot at proving that he can even begin to split games with Howard, let alone be the starter, and he's play absolutely attrocious.

There are certainly other issues, but to say that goaltending hasn't been the problem in an argument about games lost with Osgood in net is just plain ridiculous.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Yellowknife Redwing

[interminded 1]

Let Osgood play 3 or 4 games in a row.

Let him get into a groove and build up some confidence and rhythm.

[StormJH1 231]

My opinion is......

Howard's lateral movement in 150% better than Ozzies'.

He would have had goals 4 and 5.

And most likely, Miettenen's second goal would have hit Howard's left shoulder.

But this is just specualtion.

I was at the game last night. It was very deflating to watch that performance. The point about lateral movement is well taken, and here's why:

People forget a few things about Chris Osgood. First, he's 5'10", which is very small for a modern goaltender. Second, Chris Osgood was considered a "hybrid goaltender" for the bulk of his career, until he reinvented himself as more of a butterfly goaltender before the 2007-08 season. These two points are interrelated. Osgood's degree of success has always seemed overinflated compared to his size and apparent abilities. The reason he was so successful is that he played in Detroit with outstanding defenses that limited cross-ice passing. Anybody who has watched Osgood over the years probably has the image of Ozzie way out beyond the crease cutting down the angle on shooters and trapping the puck in his shoulder protector in a butterfly.

The problem is that Osgood is a little bit older now, which means that his footspeed (both laterally and in his ability to get out on an angle) are diminished. But the bigger problem is that defense is a mere shadow of what it was even 2 years ago. Lidstrom and Rafalski are aging fast. Stuart and Kronwall (when healthy) are still very good, but we're forced to give significant minutes to guys who are far less consistent. So, those cross-ice passes that never would've happened on the '98 or '08 Wings are happening quite a bit now.

What I saw last night was Osgood committing too early with the butterfly to sharp angle shots, which basically left the net wide-open on the Latendresse and Havlat goals. A larger goalie (even one Howard's size) would stay closer to the goalline and have a much better opportunity to make those saves. But I think it's too simplistic to say that Osgood was "rusty". He looked fine on straight shots and had good positioning. The issue with Osgood is that he changed his game to compensate for his size and remain effective on a good defensive team, but this is a very average defensive team now, and Osgood's movement is also beginning to diminish.

Having been to the Joe as far back as the 1996 Playoffs and watching Osgood, I'm amazed that I'm still watching him in the Winged Wheel in 2010 playing in Minnesota. But after last night, I had a sinking feeling I was witnessing the beginning (or the middle) of the end.

Edited January 28, 2010 by StormJH1

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

I appreciate the sentiment and I respect your opinions, but you've got blinders on right now.

Can you imagine what our record would be like right now if Chris Osgood had been in net for the majority of our starts in the last little while? That 51 shot barrage in LA would have been an absolute ******* massacre with Osgood in net. You can say what you want about Howard losing just as many games as Osgood lately, but the difference in those losses is this: Howard gives this team a chance to win right now and Osgood doesn't. Howard stands on his head when he has to, has very rarely allowed what you'd call a "soft" goal and he competes like hell on every single play. Watching Latendresse's goal from last night made me sick. Osgood was way out of position, had zero lateral mobility and didn't even try to make a save. I feel more confident watching Jim Howard leave the puck behind the net for the D than I do watching Osgood field the puck outside his crease because 4 times out of 5 it results in a giveaway. This is Osgood's 3rd shot at proving that he can even begin to split games with Howard, let alone be the starter, and he's play absolutely attrocious.

There are certainly other issues, but to say that goaltending hasn't been the problem in an argument about games lost with Osgood in net is just plain ridiculous.

I'm talking about the last few games. Before that I was always a proponent of having Howard get more starts than Osgood (not 12 in a row but more).

Right now both Osgood and Howard are losing. And it is because the team is mentally unable to hold a lead or play a full 60 minutes. They are leaving players wide open in front of their goaltenders and unless one of them gets a Howard Vs. LA performance that isn't likely to change with the goaltending.

The entire problem when I discuss this issue is people acting like I'm talking about the season as a whole. I'm talking about these last few games.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I'm talking about the last few games. Before that I was always a proponent of having Howard get more starts than Osgood (not 12 in a row but more).

Right now both Osgood and Howard are losing. And it is because the team is mentally unable to hold a lead or play a full 60 minutes. They are leaving players wide open in front of their goaltenders and unless one of them gets a Howard Vs. LA performance that isn't likely to change with the goaltending.

The entire problem when I discuss this issue is people acting like I'm talking about the season as a whole. I'm talking about these last few games.

I can see your argument about the stretches, but Howard is young and can handle it - I think from here out, they should be on a 4 to 1 rotation (4 starts for Howard, 1 for Osgood)

The team is definitely making mental mistakes and yes, this is affecting the outcome more than the goaltending, but Osgood is doing NOTHING to prove he deserves to be in there, "rust" or not...

The point is - we NEED these points, and Howard has proven he should be playing at least 75% of the games from here out...

[Inultus 12]

It's all fine and good for people to second-guess Babcock and say that Ozzy should be playing more but the problem is that we can't afford to wait until Ozzy gets in a groove. We need points, and we need them yesterday (literally).

Simple fact is Howard is #6 of 47 in save % and Ozzy is 45 of 47. Out of his "groove" or not, he shouldn't be at the very bottom of the heap if he wants any chance at being a playoff goalie.

[Dustywt4 0]

This topic is boring. I myself am a goalie and nothing pisses me off more than watching lazy defenseman and forwards watch perimeter passing and leave a man unattended at the side of the net opposite the man with the puck. Ozzy was where he should have been all night. Helm and Kronwall just admired Minnesota's passing too much. Pay attention! Howard let in 5 goals the nite before. Once an Ozzy hater always an Ozzy hater is what I say. Give the guy a break. Start blaming the coaches and the other guys that are thinking too much about the Olympics.

[jmad 18]

I can't reply to every opinion in this thread but I've watched Ozzie's entire career in Detroit and I've never felt really comfortable with him in net. Yes, he's been great (last year's playoffs) and he's been terrible (Last years season) but you never really know which one you're going to get.

Howard is bigger and I feel like he's in position a lot more often than Ozzie is. Howard just seems to be less stressful to watch. Maybe that translates down to the players on the ice as well.