Mason Back and Ready..

It was clear that members of the Detroit Red Wings had an agenda last night.  Go big and aim for the glove on mono recovered Steve Mason.  They took advantage a couple times on a glove hand that seemed a bit slower than usual, but Mason stood strong, allowing Columbus to gain another two points in a game that most teams would accept one or zero points in.

Outside of their clear glove hand target, the physicality around Mason was also prevalent, with guys like Meech crashing into him without penalization.  Good thing Columbus has rarely been favored this year, and would definitely defend their goalie at all costs regardless of how the refs decide to call it.

Getting past the game itself, having Mason come back and gain a victory is also a big positive for the team in a couple different ways.  First off, it reminds LaCosta that his time is not right now, and Mason will hold onto the spotlight for the time being.  It also reminds the fans that no team has that many players come in and steal the show, but frankly, we should consider ourselves lucky that he was able to come in and play as well as he did.

Secondly, it truly shows the value of the team outside of the net.  The defense and offense may not have bailed out Mason last night, but they played very smart and strong hockey against Colorado and San Jose with young LaCosta between the pipes.

Finally, it shows that Mason was not on a hot streak.  Many young players and even veterans come in and play fantastic hockey for a given period of time only to flatten out.  I feel like if Mason was simply riding the wave, that momentum would have dissipated with the time off and he would have come out poorly last night.

Looks like the only guy who will not learn is Hitchcock.  Mason will be starting again tonight in net against Carolina.

Carry the Flag!