Jared Coreau earned his first NHL victory and for one night at least, defended the honor of legendary Detroit Red Wings goalie Terry Sawchuk.
Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo will eventually post his 448th NHL victory and move past Sawchuk into fifth spot on the NHL’s all-time wins list but thanks to Coreau stopping two of three shots in the shootout and Detroit rallying from a 3-1 third-period deficit Friday for a 4-3 win over the Panthers, the milestone win didn’t come against the team Sawchuk is most identified with as an NHL netminder.
“I can’t really describe it,… Coreau suggested of his post-game emotional state. “I guess it’s a little bit of relief. It’s Christmas time, so it’s a good Christmas present to myself.
“I don’t know, it just feels really good.…
With the Wings confirming Friday that Jimmy Howard is gone 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL, Coreau will get plenty of future chances to relive that good feeling.
Coreau admitted that he went to school during his NHL debut in a 5-3 loss Dec. 3 at Pittsburgh, and put those lessons to good use in Friday’s triumph.
“I think a little bit is confidence,… Coreau said. “Getting that game and going down there (to AHL Grand Rapids), you have that under your belt and it’s adding to your resume, so that’s part of it. But I think the biggest thing is just, I guess you could say physics. Guys can hide their shot really well up here. I think guys down in the AHL can shoot just as hard, but their releases aren’t as deceptive.
“So the biggest thing I noticed when I went down and started playing there is everything I could see, I was going to stop and I felt really under control, the most under control I felt, so that’s going to be my goal here over the next four to six weeks, is just really control my game, stay within my crease and make the saves I have to, don’t give up any soft goals. Just feel good about every game I get.…
Now that he’s had a sample of the NHL and a taste of victory at hockey’s highest level, Coreau only hungers for more.
“It’s like (Toronto Maple Leafs coach) Mike Babcock said,… Coreau recalled of the former Wings coach. “He said once you get a taste, you want the whole pie. So it’s true. You fly on the plane and obviously the pay’s better. It’s just better. It makes you want it more.
“As long as you don’t get too comfortable and you always stay hungry, yeah, it definitely drove me to get further.…
Rescheduled Detroit’s Monday game at Carolina, postponed due to an ice plant failure, has been rescheduled for March 27.
That means the Wings must play three times in three nights. Detroit will play host to the Minnesota Wild on March 26 before heading to face the Hurricanes in back-to-back games on March 27-28.
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