Update (4:33 PM): Bruce MacLeod has posted another piece on the move. - Matt
Update (2:57 PM): Ansar Khan has more, including quotes from Dominik Hasek and Mike Babcock. - Matt
Bruce MacLeod reports that Mike Babcock has decided to start Chris Osgood tomorrow night.
With Hasek’s confidence in himself at a low point and Osgood looking so steady last night, I think it’s safe to say this is the right decision. After thinking it over since this morning, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is not the time to test Hasek’s tendency to rebound from bad games.
Also, it’s possible we’ll see a changeup in the forward lineup, which would mean the insertion of either Darren Helm or Justin Abdelkader. Babcock told MacLeod he’s sleeping on it.
Agreed. Putting in Ozzy for game five is the obvious decision for the Wings. He’s played great all year, save for a short midseason lapse. I think Hasek has played well too (nothin beats watching Dom on top of his game!), but I agree that his confidence has been shaken. The end of the season wasn’t great for Dom health-wise either. Ozzy has just been very confident in net. It’s something we’ve seen all season, but we’ve deferred to Dom when he plays well. The swap in net is standard operating procedure with this club.
With regard to Helm or Abdelkader jumping in…I think either would be a good choice. I’d really like to see Abdelkader play a few shifts against the Preds with his size and energy. Helm makes those sweet turns out of corners to drive the net too, which could be interesting. Something new for Ellis, perhaps?
So what’s up with Filps? He’s breaking into the zone really well, but not holding onto the puck after making the first move or regaining after the dump-in. That kid is really good and I’d love to see him make a major breakout…It’ll go down, but when?
jordank13,
I think Fil’s having the same troubles he had during the regular season (falling down randomly, overthinking scoring chances, etc.). I really wanted to see him break out in the playoffs, but he still can’t for the life of him finish a play. Maybe Friday will be the night!