All Systems Are Go

The sigh of relief emanating from the visiting dressing room in Pittsburgh on Friday was so palpable, it could be heard all the way back in Detroit. Jimmy Howard practiced and everything went well, meaning you should expect to see him in goal when the Detroit Red Wings return to action Saturday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I’m ready to go,… Howard proclaimed to Detroitredwings.com following practice. “The stiffness in the knee went away over the break. That’s what we were hoping for, and it did. Howard suffered the knee strain in Detroit’s 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Jan. 5 in what was his seventh consecutive start. “It was on the first goal,… Howard explained. “During the game I felt it but I felt like I could still go. Then the next morning I woke up and there was stiffness in the knee. “I tried skating for about 20, 25 minutes and didn’t feel like it was smart to push it. With the break it’s responded and that’s what we wanted it to do.… Luckily for the Wings, they were headed into their bye week on the NHL schedule, so Howard’s ailment only cost him a one-game absence. “It was great timing, if you could have good timing with something like that,… Howard said. “I knew it was going to be nothing major.… Still, as someone who’d missed significant time in two of the previous seasons due to leg ailments, it was wiser to err on the side of caution than to throw caution to the wind. “It was just better to be smart and miss one game then try to do something stupid and wind up out for longer period of time,… Howard said. Howard’s value to the Wings isn’t emphasized merely in his numbers, but those numbers do add up to an impressive sum. He’s appeared in 22 of Detroit’s last 24 games, and in 34 of 41 games thus far this season. With a 14-12-6 record, he’s accounted for 34 of the 41 points accumulated by the Wings this season. Detroit coach Jeff Blashill was relieved to see his No. 1 goalie back between the pipes and able to answer the call. “I think it was important to find out where he was at,… Blashill said. “I wanted to wait and see him in practice before I decided to make any decisions, so it was good to see he practiced well.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer