DET vs NAS

DETROIT - The Dominator is done - at least for the time being.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock made the first big personnel move of this series on Thursday, when he announced that Chris Osgood would replace Dominik Hasek in goal when the Wings take on Nashville in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Friday.

The announcement really wasn’t much of a surprise. Hasek had looked suspect in surrendering a pair of late Predators goals in Game 3, and was shaky in Game 4 as well, surrendering three goals by Nashville defencemen - including a couple that looked stoppable.

Hasek’s save percentage stood at .888 after four games.

Osgood posted almost identical numbers to Hasek during the regular season, as he went 27-9-4 with a 2.09 goals against average and .914 save percentage.

“The bottom line is we’ve done this all year long,’’ Babcock said. “Ozzie’s been very very good for us. I thought Ozzie played well (on Wednesday), so that’s what we’re doing.

“We told Dom to get out on the ice and get some work (at practice), get your game back. We plan on having a long run, so be ready.’’

Predators coach Barry Trotz acknowledged that his team had achieved some measure of success by knocking Hasek out of the net, but expected Osgood to play just as he did in the regular season.

“In any series, the main goal is to try to get to the goaltender,’’ Predators coach Barry Trotz said. “We were fortunate … (But) we know they’ve got two good goaltenders, just like we do. It will still be tough to score on the Wings.’’

LOOKING FOR A FIRST:
The Predators will once again be seeking the first road playoff win in franchise history tonight. Nashville is 0-for-9 currently in playoff games away from Music City, with five of those losses coming in Detroit.

“It’s more difficult to play on the road, no question,’’ Predators captain Jason Arnott said. “The home team has a lot more energy and jump because of the fans.

“But we know we have to win on the road if we’re going to move on. It’s nice to be tied up, but we’re going to have to get a win on the road.’’

WINGS STILL CONFIDENT:
After losing the last two games, it’s worth wondering if the Wings are thinking about previous first-round slip-ups. Detroit has lost in the opening round in three of the past seven seasons.

Babcock, however, sounded pretty confident.

“We’ve got the best home record in the NHL and we’re playing at home,’’ he said. “We’ve got a good hockey teaam. We’ve got to play.

“In the end, someone’s going to have more will than the other team and find a way to win. I believe that’s going to be us.’’

Babcock said he would consider some lineup changes for Friday’s contest, but didn’t specify which players might be involved.