Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
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Getty ImagesDETROIT - He was coming off one of his worst starts of the season. Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard allowed three goals in 20 shots against the New York Islanders on Tuesday before coach Mike Babcock pulled him.
After making the switch to Chris Osgood, Babcock told Howard that the decision had nothing to do with his play. It was a chance to get Osgood some work. Maybe spark the team.
"I made it very clear when I pulled him," Babcock said.
But Howard, a 25-year-old rookie, still felt bad. In part, it was because he couldn't make enough stops to help his road-weary team finish its trip strong. But also because it meant Osgood had to come off the bench cold, jumping into action for the first time since Dec. 20.
"Yeah, I feel so bad," Howard said. "You never want to get pulled."
"We laughed about it after," Osgood said. "I told Jimmy, 'Never let that happen again. I'm not 27 anymore.' "
But Howard bounced back. He passed another test in what's becoming one of the NHL's most impressive rookie seasons. On Thursday, his next start, he stopped 37-of-38 shots to beat the Carolina Hurricanes. It was his 17th victory of the season, with his goals-against average dropping to 2.17 — a number just outside the top five and only slightly higher than Martin Brodeur's 2.14.
After the Carolina win, Howard was unlacing his skates while trying to explain the importance of the bounce-back game. How was an inexperienced NHL goalie able to shake off a rough start so easily?
He stopped messing with the skates and pointed to the veteran to his right who was peeling off mostly dry hockey gear.
There was the answer: Chris Osgood. The reason Howard is succeeding is because of Osgood.
"I'm just trying to stay in the moment and he's taught me how to do that. He's one of the best in the league at that," Howard told Sporting News. "He knows how to let things roll off his back and just continue to push forward."
And now, Osgood continues to push. Even if it hasn't been easy.
He's only made one start in the past month.
"The way the league works, the guy who is playing good gets to play," Babcock explained.
But at some point, doesn't Osgood need to get some regular action? Don't you have to get one of the game's best playoff goalies ready for the playoffs?
"We're not in the playoffs," Babcock shot back. "We have to win games."
When Howard's string of starts got rolling, it definitely pulled at Osgood. On one hand, he was proud. Osgood has liked the young goalie since the Red Wings drafted him in the second round in 2003.
He used to check in on him in Grand Rapids, offering tips and advice on what it took to be an NHL goalie. They frequently chat on the phone, so much, in fact, that Osgood recently joked he had to tell Howard to stop calling him because he was cutting into family time.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Check out highlights from the Rangers 3-2 win over the Capitals.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
