Chris Osgood has Red Wings on Verge of Eliminating Penguins

Chris Osgood is playing out of his mind. Unless he totally folds in the last three games, his playoff performance will quiet his critics who say he is the least legitimate Stanley Cup winning net-minder in the game's history.

I am not sure how many people have been saying that, but I have. In my mind, he won in 1997 because the team in front of him was just that much better than anyone else.

That is true this year, too. He has faced just over 22 shots per game because the Red Wings are like your big brother when he wants to show off to his friends. They play keep-away with the puck. 

That is why I continued to wait for him to remember that he was Chris Osgood and let a soft goal or two in to cost his team a game. But if he can win two Cups over a decade apart, that is quite a feat.

If nothing else, a .936 save percentage so far has legitimized his performance. I am sure many of the shots are teams just trying desperately to put the puck on net at the end of the game. This makes for some easy saves.

However, at best that balances out the difficulty of staying focused when you are not seeing many shots. Most goalies will tell you that they like to see about six to eight shots a period to stay on their game. 

So is this series over? Not quite. Let me give reasons why the Penguins can win: 

1. They have made adjustments that have kept them more competitive in the last two games. They are controlling the puck a little more often, and have been able to at least match Detroit's physicality.
2. They have enough scoring lines that, if they can get them to step up, Detroit cannot win by simply matching smothering defender Nick Lidstrom against Sidney Crosby.
3. By simply winning Game Five, the Pens will get a boost and come home for Game Six, where they would have to be the favorite. Then they would have confidence and momentum heading back to Detroit for Game Seven, while Detroit would be under tremendous pressure. Hockey is a funny game, where one fortuitous bounce can give a team a win.
4. They have played two games fewer than Detroit and are younger, so the farther this series goes, the better their chances.

Unfortunately for them, the veteran Red Wings know this and will play with unexpected urgency for a team up 3-1. They will win Game Five, 4-2.