Osgood is the nominal starter and has played 13 of the Wings' first 20 games. He has posted a pedestrian 3.25 GAA and .881 save-percentage, but has backstopped the team to 8 wins and just one regulation loss. His most recent appearance was in last night's 3-2 overtime loss in Vancouver.
Conklin is 6-1-0 and was the first of the two to post a shutout this season (Nov. 17 versus Edmonton). He has been impressive in each of his outings, posting a 2.41 GAA and .918 save-percentage while bringing an element Detroit has lacked over the years: a decent puck-handling ability.
He seems to have won the confidence of a fanbase with notoriously high standards in goaltending, and already has some fans hoping the team will be able to sign him to an extension on his one-year contract in case Jimmy Howard doesn't work out. In the seven games he's started, Conklin has shown himself to be a more than capable goaltender as he has played behind a group of skaters still working out the defensive kinks.
The decision to go to some kind of regular rotation in net comes as no surprise. The Wings would like Chris Osgood, their man for the playoffs, to play 43-45 games during the regular season in order to be fresh when it counts. This is precisely why they signed Conklin.
