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With just over 20 games left on the schedule, it's crunch time in the NHL and many teams are finding out how important it is to have two quality netminders:
When the Dallas Stars made the decision to end the Ed Belfour era, they were very confident that Marty Turco was going to be the go-to guy for years to come. They also were smart in surrounding him with good people. Turco has bonded with veteran Ron Tugnutt and has a great support coach in former NHLer Andy Moog, who is the goalie coach. Now that Turco has recovering from his first real injury, the decision to bring in Tugger is magnified.
In his first game since Turco went down with an ankle injury, Tugnutt performed well, making 19 saves -- including a spectacular two-pad save -- in a 3-1 win vs. San Jose. When you look at the big picture, it's not as if the Stars are desperate for points. But they have made it known that their goal is to win their division, the Western Conference and the President's Trophy. Right now, they are neck-and-neck with Ottawa for first overall. Look for Tugnutt to play in at least 2 more games before Turco returns.
When the Montreal Canadiens were struggling a week ago, it was backup Mathieu Garon who came to the rescue by performing brilliantly in back-to-back wins. The calm left-hander beat Washington, 2-1, and then made 42 saves to beat Jeff Hackett and the Bruins, 3-1. There was plenty of controversy after he started those two games, but Claude Julien came back on Saturday with Jose Theodore, who turned in a first-star performance in a 3-2 win over Edmonton. There is no question as to who the No. 1 guy is in Montreal, but there are times when the No. 2 goalie has to step up and make a difference; Garon did his job perfectly. I am still amazed that so many NHL teams let Garon slip through waivers earlier this year year.
Few would argue that Nikolai Khabibulin is one of the very best in the NHL. The problem this season is he hasn't been at the top of his game consistently enough. So John Grahame was brought in to give the Bolts top goaltending, for at least a brief time. Khabibulin was winless in nine starts (0-6-3) during his dry spell, but thanks to the play of Grahame (and a great support attitude by Khabibulin when the coach turned to his backup), Khabby has gotten his game going and now he has won his last two starts.
When Chris Osgood went down with his ankle injury, who would have thought veteran Garth Snow would be able to take over the reins like he has? Rick DiPietro has played a little, but the wins have been more plentiful with Snow in front of the twine. He has started six consecutive games (3-2-1) and the Islanders are in the playoff hunt. Osgood, who is skating with the team, has looked strong and is close to returning.
One of the best backups in the NHL is Detroit's Manny Legace. While Curtis Joseph was struggling in January, there was some strong talk of Legace taking over the ship in Detroit. Make no mistake, Legace can be a difference maker when he gets in the net, and I marvel at his ability to sit on the bench for weeks at a time and then go in on the second night of a back-to-back and not only win the game, but be a star in the game. That said, he is not a No. 1 goalie in this league. Manny does his job to perfection, especially when he stays in the game, free of any injuries. But you can't underestimate the power of presence for a No. 1 goalie in the NHL. Cujo has that presence, and although I've never seen him struggle like he has so far this year, I am encouraged by his recent play and the confidence he has shown in his last few outings. He is a battler in net and the players can feed off it. Over the past few years, I've seen Cujo pace himself better than in the earlier years, when he had very little left in the tank when the postseason began.
Again, when a team needs its backup to step up and make a difference. The good ones do that and, in turn, give the main guy time to get his game in order. If the backup can't perform, the coach then has to start the No. 1 guy, who, in reality, he needs more time to hone his game.
Detroit: Thoughts of home, defense and Stevie Y's return
Speaking of the Wings, they are putting a great deal of emphasis on finishing in the top four -- if not the top three -- in the Western Conference. They currently trail St. Louis by four points for the Central Division lead and lead the Avalanche by a point. If the playoffs were to begin today, they would have home ice against Colorado -- which is better than having to play a Game 7 in Denver. Taking nothing away from the likes of Minnesota, Anaheim or Edmonton, but clearly the Wings would want to stay away from playing against the Avs in the first round.
The Wings have Chris Chelios back in the lineup just in time for him to go head-to-head with Todd Bertuzzi on Tuesday night when they play host to the Canucks, who lead the Northwest Division. Look for gigantic defenseman Jiri Fischer to return right around April 1st as he is way ahead of schedule from his torn ACL.
Steve Yzerman, who is very close to returning to the Wings lineup, skated with Stacy Roest and Brett Hull in practice Monday. Typical of the captain, he wants to return with as little fanfare as possible. He is the kind of guy who will simply walk into Joe Louis Arena the day of a game, head over to coach Dave Lewis and tell him he's ready to go. After all, how many times has he been injured badly, went to the trainers room and received a needle to take away the pain, then headed back out on the ice with his teammates not even aware of his situation? Plenty of times. When he does return, look for him on the right wing, possibly with Sergei Fedorov at center and Brendan Shanahan on the left wing. Some possible return dates? How about February 22 vs. Washington or the 24th vs Los Angeles?
Darren Pang, a former goaltender with the Chicago Blackhawks, is a hockey analyst for ESPN.
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