The Synergy of a Team and Their Goalie

For the first time since Bud Lynch turned 4, the Detroit Red Wings seem to have had a season relatively 'Goalie Debate' free. In the recent history of our great club we've seen Cujo vs. Hasek, Legace vs. Osgood, Hasek vs. Osgood, Conklin vs. Osgood and let's not risk naivity, there has been a bit of Osgood vs. Howard as well. But by season's end, Jimmy Howard will have played the most games in a season of any Wings goalie since Curtis Joseph in 2002-03 and even Chris Osgood's biggest fans are hard pressed to find a serious argument why this shouldn't be so.

Regardless of any of this, for me, another debate would be redundant, my intention is solely to show, statistically, how the Red Wings' skaters play in front of each goalie with just a few notes from the plus/minus chart.

Skaters with a plus-rating:

While playing in front of Jimmy Howard, 13 Red Wings have more goals for, than against while 5 on 5. On the flip-side, only 3 of Ozzie's teammates were able to benefit from having him in net. Even Nicklas Lidstrom, who is +15 in front of Howard, is Even with Osgood. Brian Rafalski seems to prefer Howard even more, as he is a team-leading +18 with Howard, but -3 with Oz.

The evil, useless, hopless -- Brett Lebda:

Believe it or not, Brett Lebda is actually a plus player with Jimmy Howard in net. The often-criticized Illinoisan is a pretty respectable +7 with Howard, but -6 with Osgood. When you take into account the minutes he plays for the Wings, +7 is comparable to even his best teammates.

At least Val Filppula likes you, Ozzie:

With Chris Osgood as his netminder, Valtteri Filppula is a rare Wing with a net gain -- the other two being Kirk Maltby and Drew Miller. Miller has enjoyed Osgood's company the most with a +4 rating and Fil and Maltby at +2. The curious thing about "Flip" is that in front of "Jimmeh", his play seems to suffer 5 on 5, being on the ice for 7 more goals against than for.

The Struggles of Stu and Big Rig:

Brad Stuart has had an admirable season, having to step up for his team and play some tough roles. This season he has played more 5 on 5 minutes with both goalies than anyone else on the team. Jonathan Ericsson has also had more asked of him this season, but that seems to have had an adverse effect on his development. As a result, both player's numbers have suffered.

Brad Stuart's fortunes in front of his goalies seem fairly proportional, -4 with Osgood and -11 with Howard, while Ericsson improves from -10 with Osgood to -7 with Howard.

The Numbers don't lie:

Osgood is one of the all-time greats, but this season, whether he is to blame or not, the Wings' most important players have been better in front of Howard. When looking ahead to the run to make the playoffs and beyond, it's difficult to ignore these numbers:

Lidstrom: Ev w/Osgood, +15 w/Howard

Datsyuk: -3 w/Osgood, +15 w/Howard

Rafalski: -3 w/Osgood, +18 w/Howard

Zetterberg: -7 w/Osgood, +12 w/Howard

Franzen: -1 w/Osgood, +2 w/Howard

Holmstrom: -3 w/Osgood, +12 w/Howard

In total, Osgood's mates combine for -85 whilst playing in front of him, while Howard's, +41.