By Darren Pang Special to ESPN.com The Matchup: Patrick Roy vs. Chris Osgood
On paper, the goalie matchup between Roy and Osgood rivals the one between Martin Brodeur and Curtis Joseph as the best in the playoffs so far. Roy is the biggger presence in net and is so machine-like in the way he prepares for a game, the way he practices and the way he plays. Everybody knows what Roy does, but it's so difficult to beat him. On the other side, Osgood is a lot less predictable. There are times in the crease when Osgood will use a two-pad slide. Other times, he will go down and do the butterfly. That could catch shooters a bit off guard early in the series. Once they see something over and over from Osgood, then they can make some adjustments. When Osgood is on top of his crease, he plays big like he did against Los Angeles. There have been times this year when he played like a small goalie, and that's not to his advantage. Against Phoenix, Roy was excellent, especially in Game 2. Of all the playoff goalies, he has faced the third-fewest shots, which says a lot about Colorado's defense. He made the saves he had to make. Osgood gave up five goals in Game 2 against Los Angeles, but still made some great saves, and the Red Wings won 8-5. Other than that, he had two shutouts and gave up only one goal in the other three games combined. Based on previous experience, the two goalies didn't really meet last year because Osgood wasn't healthy. The recent advantage would lean toward Roy winning four straight against Detroit. The previous advantage, going back to the fight Roy and Osgood had two years ago, would favor Osgood because the Red Wings ended up winning the Stanley Cup. This is an even matchup, but one thing I have learned is not to underestimate Osgood. In addition, Roy's aura and leadership have gotten him through difficult times. Roy is so highly motivated because every time he looks up, he sees Ray Bourque in front of him and doesn't want to let him down. Darren Pang is a hockey analyst for ESPN. | |||||
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