Good night: Chris Osgood.. not soooo much
The Lead
Actual words written on Puck Daddy today:
Puck Headlines: Has Chris Osgood finally quieted the critics?
• Scott Burnside of ESPN takes a stand against “the ranks of those caterwauling about the Detroit Red Wings goaltending” by interviewing Chris Osgood about his quiet turnaround since his mini-vacation: Four wins in a row, and giving up three or less in each of them. Money quote: “I was kind of expecting to pick up where I left off last year against Pittsburgh … In reality, that’s just not going to happen because that was like a two-month zone. In that aspect, I put too much pressure on thinking I’ve got to be that guy throughout the whole year instead of just playing game by game and being me.” [ESPN]
Well it looks like Scott Burnside better check his hat in the morning, since Chris Osgood just deposited some of his feces on the inside of it, and there may have been some splashback as well.
Ozzie did nothing to disprove any of the critics, giving up three goals on 13 shots to Calgary tonight, all of which were so soft you could easily pass them as the fancy kind of toilet paper. He got the hook after 25:38. Detroit went on to lose 5-3.
But good news, Scott Burnside: he didn’t get the loss! What he did get, though, was the stunning realization that he still suuuuuuuh-huuuuuuuuuuuuucks at goaltending, just as badly as you do at prognosticating.
I imagine Burnside in his Atlanta home, just thinking to himself, “Hmmmm, let me see here. What WILLLLLLLL this goaltender who has been eye-bleedingly godawful all season do? Will he do well enough to win on the best on-paper team in the NHL, as he has for the last week and a half, or will he just revert back to his ol’ 3.whatever/.880whatever self that he’d been for the prior 35 games?” Real friggin’ noodle-scratcher, Burnside. You’re a chucklehead. Go run a lap.
The real victim in this is Ty Conklin, who did take the loss because he had the unmitigated AUDACITY to give up one goal on 12 shots! Unbelievable! If Conklin wasn’t so incredibly familiar with how bad it sucks to be Ty Conklin, I would use this as a prime example.
Elsewhere…
Philadelphia 4, New Jersey 2
Uh oh the Devils are on a two-game losing streak now is the time for everyone to declare the DEVILS dead in the water and once again praise the Bruins as the second coming of Jesus H. Christ in the East. Or maybe it’s just that, at some points over an 82-game season, everyone regresses or progresses toward being league average for a couple weeks. Fun fact: Philly started the season 5-6-4 in its first 15 games. Tonight was their 40th win. Everyone chill out.
Carolina 3, Florida 2 (OT)
Ray Whitney in overtime was like Kenny Powers at Ashley Schaffer BMW. He OWNED that OT. It was impressive to watch. Just completely took it over. Obviously by saying all of this I am implying that he got the overtime game-winner. He did. So that’s that then.
March 24th, 2009 at 4:41 am
I pray every day to the Snake God that someone will pull a Jack Ruby on Osgood as he’s leaving the arena basement to go to the parking deck.
March 24th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Hey now, there were just about daily articles on this blog earlier this year just about declaring the Bruins Christ too!
March 24th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Well here’s the thing about that, UG: though my understanding of hockey statistics/sabermetrics is more or less rudimentary, I remember reading something about how there are almost never any huge statistical outliers as far as team shooting percentage goes. The Bruins, though, had a ridiculously high s% through the first half of the year, and it just kind of dropped its way back down toward the mean. This resulted in a number of losses that APPEARED to be because of lack of effort and whatnot.
So basically: The Devils and Bruins are very, very good teams who are now or just stopped being the victims of their own peculiar success. I think the Bruins are the second best team in the league. They may not be as deep at forward as San Jose or Detroit (it’s close.. they don’t have the Thorntons, Datsyuks or Zetterbergs of the world propping up the front end), but they have the best D corps and goaltending in the league.
March 24th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I was just breaking your balls, its your blog, say whatever the hell you want! The goaltending thing is debateable, as I feel that may be a statistical anomoly as well, but hey, they’re doing something right either way.
March 24th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
No matter how sporadic TLP updates might be, you can always expect one the day after the Wings lose to the Flames
But yes, Osgood could suck-start a leafblower with the way he’s played this season. If he doesn’t shape up, Ty Conklin’s going to be a playoff starting goalie.
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
u r right osggod sucks but not even close to as much as this page.