Jimmy Howard Should Take a Page Out of Red Wings' 2008 Stanley Cup Playoff Run

It was a different time in the Detroit Red Wings' present 24-season playoff run, but current Wings goalie Jimmy Howard needs to take a page out of former Wings goalie Chris Osgood's book to avoid disappointment and to be ready going forward.

Howard, the longtime No. 1 goalie in Detroit, finds himself riding the bench for Game 1 of the Red Wings' quarterfinals series with the Tampa Bay Lightning in favor of upstart goaltender Petr Mrazek. After a hot start this season, Howard was sidelined with a groin injury, causing him to play in just 50 of the 82 games this season. 

With Howard out for a month and normal backup Jonas Gustavsson nowhere to be found due to another injury, Mrazek inspired the Wings and went 8-2-0 with a no decision over the 11 games in Howard's absence.

It wasn't necessarily that either goalie outperformed the other down the stretch. Mrazek struggled, winning just once in his last five games (the last game of the season in Carolina), but Howard just let in a few too many bad goals for head coach Mike Babcock's liking.

But all disappointment aside, Jimmy Howard must regroup his thoughts and focus on the games ahead like Chris Osgood did in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Osgood had a 27-9-4 record in the 2008 regular season, but he found himself riding the pine for the first three games to Dominik Hasek (and his 27-10-3 record) in the Wings' first-round series against the Nashville Predators.

When Babcock pulled Hasek in Game 4, and although the Wings lost the game, Osgood allowed just one goal in Game 5 and shut out the Predators in Game 6 to win the series 4-2.

LM Otero/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

The rest, as they say, is history, as Detroit won the next three rounds, while Osgood went 14-4 with a 1.55 GAA. But back to the present, as Jimmy Howard does not have the fortune of riding the coattails of a President's Trophy team like the 2008 Detroit Red Wings. 

His defense is—on most nights—not quite good enough. His offense—in the majority of Howard's starts this season—has been nonexistent.

But Howard can't control any of those things. He just needs to be the goaltender who sits down, focuses, and sees the puck well. While he is not guaranteed to get any starts in the playoffs this season, Howard has the benefit of knowing that Babcock has by no means settled on a definitive "No. 1" goaltender.

Like Osgood, Howard has struggled with mental gaffes over his career—though none have been as memorable as Osgood's miscues. But Osgood, unlike Howard, has three Cup rings in his time in Detroit. 

While the similarities between Howard and Osgood are eerie, Howard is still looking to get past the second round of the playoffs, nearing the end of his sixth season as Detroit's full-time goaltender.

Jimmy Howard would be wise to sit back and enjoy the miscues that are inevitably going to occur with rookie goaltender Petr Mrazek, but he should be ready to replace the young Czech goaltender if given the chance.

All statistics via NHL.com.