Joseph to Start Game Five

The Detroit Red Wings will turn to goaltender Curtis Joseph to help break them out of a two-game slide Thursday night, Red Wings head coach Dave Lewis announced on Wednesday. Manny Legace has started all four of Detroit’s playoff games thus far and is 2-2 in that time.

The Red Wings opened their first round series with the Nashville Predators with two home wins but followed that up with two losses on the road as the Predators evened the series. Joseph made his first appearance of the series in the third period of Game Four, replacing Legace after Nashville scored three goals on just 11 shots.

Joseph held the Predators scoreless on their remaining nine shots as the Red Wings lost.

Joseph was slated to be Detroit’s starting goaltender this season before Dominik Hasek’s surprise return from retirement in July. Hasek’s return left Joseph on the trade block, but the Red Wings were unable to deal the veteran goaltender.

When Hasek suffered a groin injury in December, Joseph was called back into action. Hasek quit the season in February and Joseph was injured the next game. He spent most of the rest of the season injured and returned just in time for the start of the playoffs, at which point Legace had already established himself as the postseason starter.

Joseph is 0-4 in playoff appearances for the Red Wings, starting all four games as Detroit was swept by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the first round in 2003.