The mid-point of an NHL season is usually the time when the gap between the potential playoff contenders and pretenders widens.
Not so during the 2007-08 season, for into the 30-game point and with mid-season less than three weeks away, the NHL standings remain as tightly packed as it was a month ago.
As of today, only the Detroit Red Wings have thus far established themselves as a dominant club, currently sitting over ten points over the San Jose Sharks, their closest rival in the Western Conference standings.
A mere ten points separates the second-overall Sharks from the 15th overall Los Angeles Kings. That means fourteen teams in the Western Conference are still jockeying for playoff position.
In the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa Senators still rule the roost with 39 points, but a recent seven-game losing skid has New Jersey, Carolina and Boston - only four points behind - nipping at their heels.
Indeed, only 12 points separates the Sens from the 14th overall Sabres. Only the 15th overall Washington Capitals, with only 24 points, appear in danger of falling out of the race by the mid-season mark.
It's been a weird season, as only the Red Wings have maintained a consistent level of performance. Almost all the remainder have seen their respective performances rise and fall in the first two months of this season.
It remains to be seen how long this trend will last, but as long as the standings remain tight, the longer it'll take general managers to start spending their valuable salary cap space in roster-boosting or salary-dumping trades.
The Wings have had great goaltending since opening night. Seems like every other team in the league has had thier share of goaltending issues. The only other team that looks relatively spotless in goal, despite a bit of turbulence, is the Bruins. Thomas was strong since replacing Fernandez, who really didn't have a chance to prove he's not a sieve. Auld looks strong right now, and other than the beating at the hands of Montreal, Rask still looks alright. When Thomas gets healthy, Rask will probably go back to the minors and start the rest of the season with Providence.
Otherwise, it seems like every team's had its offensive ups and downs. The only constant has been Detroit's netminding.
I would have more confidence going into the playoffs with Ozzie than Hasek. Despite his last three games being solid, Hasek has been a major liability at key times this season. Meanwhile Ozzie has rolled to a 14-1-1 record with a 1.75 GAA (1st in the league) and .928 SP (2nd), all numbers which are superior to Hasek's.
Maybe Ozzie became known for the long goals in the '98 playoffs (when he STILL won the Cup), but he is a much better goalie than he was then. He's also been nothing but the perfect team player since he came back to town too. Soft goals killing the Wings are a thing of the past... Unless of course Hasek decides to keep playing like he has most of this season already.
Yeah but to my knowledge Hasek has always put up good numbers in the playoffs. I think that's the only reason why they keep him around. If he can stay healthy come playoff time he's one of the best goalies playing these days.
Why wouldn't you split the two goalies? Osgood seems to be flourishing under the system and it keeps one of the greatest playoff goalies ever relatively fresh.
As far as I'm concerned, there is one main factor to determine which goalie should be starting: how well they are playing. Age, salary, etc. are irrelevant. Teams are in this league to win the Cup and they need to go with whoever is most likely to get them there based on how they are playing now. I will concede that Hasek has put up good playoff numbers in the past, but this is the present and his terrible play so far this season will not get the Wings anywhere.
Detroit is riding the top of the Western Conference because Ozzie has been one of the top goalie's in the league this year (the numbers don't lie) and Hasek has been far from it. If the playoffs started today I would want Ozzie in there, hands down.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
