The Detroit Red Wings entered the 2022-23 season with a battle between the pipes. Two goalies who had yet to prove themselves to be the number one.
Ville Husso, 27 years old, had an unbelievable night Thursday night against the Washington Capitals, stopping 33 of 34 shots. Husso has made six starts this season; he is 4-1-1 with a .934 save percentage.
Husso was a fourth-round draft pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2014. He made his first NHL appearance in the 2020-21 season and started 38 games for the Blues in 2021-22 before being traded to Detroit this offseason.
So far this season, Ville Husso has a 2.17 goals-against average. Husso has stood on his head during defensive breakdowns of the still-developing Red Wings team. He has bailed the team out of bad situations and kept them in games.
On the other side of this goaltending battle, Alex Nedeljkovic is a tough 1-2-1 on the season with a 4.96 goals-against average. He is posting a .871 save percentage and has been very shaky in the net if you can’t tell by the numbers.
Nedeljkovic has allowed games to get away from him when he is in the net. In his four starts, he has allowed four goals or more in three of them. His latest start was against the Buffalo Sabres; he allowed eight goals on 46 shots posting his worst save percentage of the season.
Have the Detroit Red Wings found their no. 1 goalie in Ville Husso?
After Friday’s practice, Derek Lalonde spoke to the media about the goaltending situation heading into back-to-back games this weekend.
Derek Lalonde said both Ned and Husso will play this weekend in the back to back situation, but they have not decided who will get which game. #LGRW
— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) November 4, 2022
It is still unknown who the Red Wings’ number-one starter will be for the remainder of the season, but Ville Husso has made his case for that job in the best way possible. As long as he keeps playing the way he has been, the job should be his very soon.
The Detroit Red Wings are back in action on Saturday afternoon. They take on the New York Islanders at Little Caesars Arena for a 1 pm puck drop. You can watch the game on Bally Sports Detroit.