Bob Wojnowski: Red Wings 4, Blue Jackets 1

Osgood as it gets

Detroit

They chanted early, before the first puck was dropped. The noise was low and then it built, and by the end, there was no doubt about the star of this one.

Chris Osgood, the guy who commands the spotlight even as he shuns it, arrived for the playoffs right on time, which is a good thing, because the rest of the Red Wings were a tad tardy. The young Blue Jackets zipped into Joe Louis Arena intent on stealing Game 1, and for a while, it actually looked possible.

But if Columbus' biggest hope for a gigantic upset is to win the goalie battle, uh, not this night, not even close. Not with Osgood again diving into the playoffs like a guy who just finished an exhibition and was eager for real work. Not with the Wings swarming Columbus rookie Steve Mason, until the pucks bounced so crazily, he didn't know which way to turn.

Osgood was brilliant early, when the game was in doubt, and the Wings belted the Blue Jackets, 4-1, Thursday night. And if this indeed is the start of a long march for the defending Stanley Cup champions, Osgood picked up where we saw him last spring, where we expected to see him again, serenaded with "Ozz-ie! Ozz-ie!"

"This is the time of year I get excited and I really enjoy playing," said Osgood, who made 20 saves. "I feel I can get focused in completely. I love it. It's only one game, and I'm just one of many guys. I'm like an anchor back there, and my job is to make big saves at the right time."

'Just getting started'

Right. Like playoff time.

This was a night of funny bounces, and it had to be a crusher for the Blue Jackets, who had great chances in the first period. But for Osgood, it was all serious and all good, not that the Wings had many doubts. The questions after Osgood's poor regular season were generated from elsewhere, and some were legitimate, although they discounted Osgood's sterling postseason record.

The crowd seemed to sense tension, chanting Osgood's name before the game, and then again and again. This is where Osgood is judged now and forever, and although only one game, it was a solid tone-setter.

Osgood wouldn't call it a relief after all the scrutiny because he knows this is just getting started. But the best news for Wings fans is, when he talked confidently, it sounded authentic.

"I don't doubt myself ever," Osgood said. "People that don't know me do. I've played for 15 years. I have the most wins in Red Wings playoff history for a reason, not because I'm a bad goalie. I felt good the last 15 games, and people were trying to make up stuff that I didn't feel good. I wasn't having my best year, until January, and I felt real good since then, real motivated."

Who's the hot goalie?

He looked real good real quickly in this one. The Blue Jackets delivered their best shots early -- out-shooting the Wings 7-1 in the first 10 minutes -- and they got nothing. And then they started giving up everything, which had to drive Mason goofy.

First, Columbus center Manny Malhotra accidentally shoveled Jonathan Ericsson's shot into the net with his gloved hand, which broke a 1-1 score in the second period. A minute later, Niklas Kronwall's shot glanced off defenseman Jan Hejda and flipped past Mason, and by then, the shaken 20-year-old goalie had to wonder if he played for the Blue Jackets or the Straight Jackets.

These first-round series often start slow, and sure enough, the Wings had a batch of defensive lapses and penalties in the first period. Osgood was there to save them, including a spectacular glove save on a rebound shot fired by R.J. Umberger.

"To survive that, I thought Ozzie made some real good saves," Mike Babcock said. "If they scored there, they'd have the momentum. Instead, we were able to get the tempo higher."

The Wings were mostly dominant from that point on, a good sign that should not be dismissed because Columbus is, well, Columbus. The path for defending Stanley Cup champs is a brutal one, including this staggering statistic -- the last six champs lost in the first round the following season.

Near as I can tell, as the playoffs opened, the Wings' biggest obstacles were the four Hs -- History, Hunger, Haughtiness and Hot Goalie.

History says a champ almost never repeats, not since the Wings did it 11 years ago. Hunger gets sapped. Haughtiness can be deadly. And the hot goalie? Well, Mason is the latest candidate, a 6-foot-4 giant with a stubbly chin and gaudy regular-season numbers.

Ah, but he wasn't the hot one in the opener.

"We started out a little tentative, and we've always done that the first game, so I really wanted to make sure I was ready to go," Osgood said. "It's a good start for us. We had to get through some adversity and we played real smart after that. We really grinded them down."

A fine way to start a long grind. And a good start for the goalie who knows his way around this time of year.

bob.wojnowski@detnews.com