For Both Teams, Net Result Is All That Really Matters

Before the start of any hockey playoff series, goaltending is regarded as the deciding factor for each team’s success, and this year’s NHL Stanley Cup finals is no different.

Detroit’s Chris Osgood and Washington’s Olaf Kolzig are well aware of the pressure they will be under when the Red Wings and Capitals begin their best-of-seven series tonight at Joe Louis Arena. Just don’t expect either of them to crumble, not after what both have gone through to reach this point.

Throughout the Motor City, Osgood is the man on the hot seat. That was evident Monday at the Red Wings’ news conference where Osgood, who watched teammate Mike Vernon win the Conn Smythe Trophy for leading the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup title last season, attracted the largest group of reporters.

The reason? Osgood’s history of never making things easy for himself.

In each playoff round, Osgood--the Red Wings’ No. 1 goalie since Vernon was traded last summer--has given up a soft goal from outside the blue line. Against Phoenix, it was Jeremy Roenick. Against St. Louis, it was Al MacInnis and against Dallas, it was Jamie Langenbrunner.

But after each blunder, Osgood, 26, has responded with a solid effort and is a key reason why the Red Wings are back in the finals. He has two shutouts and is 16-4 in the playoffs.

“I’m really not that bothered by all of the attention because I’ve always been confident,” said Osgood, 19-13 with a 2.28 goals-against average in 37 career playoff games. “I still watch television and read newspapers. I just don’t take it in. To me, everything is old news.”

Although he is not one of the more vocal leaders on the team, Osgood has the support of his teammates, who respect the way he has bounced back after giving up costly goals and the way he has handled criticism.

Detroit captain Steve Yzerman, who didn’t know the soft-spoken goalie well before they became road roommates during this season’s playoffs, says that Osgood realizes that the Red Wings are not counting on him to win the Cup by himself.

“He’s kind of a pretty quiet guy but I’ve been impressed from watching him throughout the playoffs,” Yzerman said. “It will be really exciting obviously for him to hoist up the Cup being that he was the backup for Vernon last year and the fact that there is a lot of focus put on him . . . but with our club, there is not any one player who feels that he has to carry the load. There has never been that feeling, and I don’t think that Ozzie feels that he has to win anything for us.”

For Kolzig--who has four shutouts, the best goals-against average (1.69) and save percentage (.946) in the playoffs this season--playing against Detroit and Osgood can’t be worse than playing Buffalo and Dominik Hasek in the Eastern Conference finals.

Kolzig outplayed Hasek and helped the Capitals win the series in six games. At 6 feet 3 and 225 pounds, his presence in the net was huge for Washington and he is expected to present the Red Wings with the same type of problems.

“He’s big and he covers a lot of net,” Detroit defenseman Larry Murphy said about Kolzig. “It’s going to be a case of creating as many scoring opportunities as you can because you know goals are not going to come easy.”

Kolzig, 28, is in his first complete season in the NHL after splitting time in the minors since being selected 19th overall by Washington in the 1989 draft. That’s why he is not letting his emotions take over in his first Stanley Cup finals.

“I always believed in myself to get to this point,” Kolzig said. “I guess after playing all of those years in the minors and waiting has brought me to this point.”

In two games against Detroit this season, Kolzig struggled against the Red Wings’ balanced attack as he gave up a total of five goals in losing both games. But like Osgood, Kolzig knows that he alone will not determine the outcome of the series.

“I said it last series against Buffalo and Hasek, and I’ll say it again: It is not a series that has goalie versus goalie,” Kolzig said. “It’s me against Detroit and Chris against us. [Osgood] showed how tough he is and how mentally strong he is in the first three rounds of the playoffs. We beat Hasek but it is going to be just as tough to beat Osgood.”