Right now, Sebastian Cossa's 0 for 1. So much for his "chip on shoulder" quip, since Cossa, who faced 17 shots on Tuesday night, allowed two goals. The game may not mean much in the grand scope, but wow, you'd have thought Cossa would've taken this opportunity and run with it against a Blackhawks team that's weak regardless of how you look at them.
Do the math, and that equals an 0.883 save percentage. Nowhere near what you'd expect from a full-time NHL goaltender. And while some will say things like, "Yeah, but you can't always blame the tendy," I digress.
Listen, your job's to be the last line of defense for your team. So when there's a breakdown, you're expected to keep the puck out of the net. I've never sat down and read what a goaltender's job description looks like on a contract, but I have a general idea that it'd have something to do with stopping pucks.
Plus, in the preseason, it's your time to shine and show your organization you can make the big save regardless of the situation. Cossa had his moments, but when you're going in there and sounding like a man on a mission, you need to accomplish that mission.
Opportunity's still knocking for Sebastian Cossa
I get it. Some of you will scoff at this take. "it's one game, Todd, it's not that big of a deal." "He still came up big at other points of the game."
I know that. But this is a kid who I'm sure wouldn't mind forcing his way onto the big club, or at least foricing Steve Yzerman to take a deeper dive into his decision-making process. But still, regardless of what you, myself, or anyone around the league thinks; Cossa's got an opportunity.
That opportunity is to bounce back with a perfect or near-perfect performance. Yeah, on paper, he only allowed two goals, which sounds impeccable. But with 17 shots on goal for the Hawks as opposed to 43 for the Red Wings? You need to be shutting teams out on 17 shots.
But he's got the chance to go back out there and deliver a more impressive performance as the preseason progresses. If Cossa does, then this game, which I'm sure's polarizing the fans given his outing, will be long-forgotten and ancient history. We'll see if Cossa steps up and delivers a redemption arc.