| | DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood is expected to miss three weeks with a hairline fracture in his right hand, leaving veteran Ken Wregget as the starter.
Osgood was placed on the injured reserve list Thursday.
Osgood has missed Detroit's last three games after making 27
saves in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 24.
He is 11-2-3 and is fourth in the NHL with a 1.92 goals-against average.
"It's about a three-week injury, he can't grip a stick," Detroit
coach Scotty Bowman said. "We're going to bring up Manny Legace."
A 17-year veteran, Wregget has won two of three games in place
of Osgood, helping Detroit (15-7-3) maintain a two-point lead
over St. Louis for the lead in the Central Division. He made 29
saves in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over San Jose to improve to 4-5.
Wregget, 35, signed a multiyear contract with the
Red Wings in July. The former fourth-round pick of Toronto
finished last season with a 10-12-4 record, a 2.53 GAA and a
.906 save percentage with Calgary and is with his fifth team.
"I'm ready, coming here I knew my role was to play when Ozzy
can't, whether it was two games, two weeks or two months, I have
to be ready no matter what," Wregget said after Wednesday night's win.
Legace, 26, is 4-5-1 with a 3.27 GAA for Manitoba of the
International Hockey League. He went 2-9-2 with a 2.60 GAA in
17 games with the Los Angeles Kings in 1998-99, his first NHL season. | |
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