Come to Think of It: Chris Osgood Is Too Good As Red Wings Top Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin needs to be much better than he has shown in his last two playoff series if the Hawks are going to have a chance in this series.

While Khabibulin allowed five goals in a series-clinching victory over Calgary, he allowed four against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, and at least one of them should have been stopped.

The Red Wings beat the Hawks 5-2 to take Game One of the Western Conference finals on Sunday.

True, Chicago's goalie had to face more shots on goal as Detroit pounded the net once again.

The Red Wings fired 43 shots on net, the sixth time in this postseason they have registered at least 40 shots on goal.

But Osgood stood on his head to make some of his 30 saves, especially against Jonathan Toews in the third period.

Daniel Cleary scored two goals for Detroit. Cleary was drafted 13th overall by the Blackhawks in 1997 but had just nine points in 41 games before being traded to Edmonton.

"I wasn't in Chicago very long, so no hard feelings," he joked.

Well, maybe the Hawks have some hard feelings after his performance on Sunday.

The Hawks' two young stars, Patrick Kane and Toews, were held to a total of three shots and were on the ice for three of the Red Wings' goals.

Kane had no shots on goal. Both will also need to step it up for the Hawks to win this series.

But the Hawks were in this game for the majority of the contest and only need to steal the next game in Detroit to accomplish what they set out to do. Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said it was a learning experience.

"We got a lesson," Quenneville said. "We've got to be better."

The Blackhawks fell behind in each of their six games the previous round against Vancouver. But against the playoff-tested Red Wings, it won't be as easy, as Quenneville knows all too well.

The Red Wings have beaten Quenneville in each of their last four championship seasons, eliminating him three times when he led St. Louis and last year when he was on Colorado's bench.

Let's hope that history doesn't repeat itself, come to think of it.