Jimmy Howard insists he’s ready to go, but regardless, Detroit coach Mike Babcock will stay with the hot hand and Petr Mrazek will get the start when the Red Wings travel to Pittsburgh Wednesday to face the Penguins.
“Howie’s going to back up on Wednesday,… Babcock said.
Now, before you go trying to start a goalie controversy, hold your horses. Babcock simply wants to be certain that Howard is ready to go before he puts him between the pipes when it matters.
“Pete, if I’m not mistaken, is winning,… Babcock said. “That’s what we’ve always done here. We’re trying to win all the games. That’s what we’re doing.
“This way Howie is fully engaged in practice, getting bumped and getting knocked around. He’ll have an opportunity to prepare and hopefully play on Saturday (at home against Winnipeg). Pete’s playing Wednesday. That’s it.…
With forward Johan Franzen on injured reserve, the Wings have room to carry all three goalies for the time being. Jonas Gustavsson will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday.
The Wings prefer to look upon the situation as a positive, another sign that they have more players ready to play in the NHL than they have room for players on the 23-man NHL roster.
“I like the fact we have too many D,… Babcock said. “X (defenseman Xavier Ouellet) feels like he should on the team. He’s in Grand Rapids. (Forward Teemu) Pulkkinen feels he should be on the team. He’s in Grand Rapids.
“I think one of the greatest things to create a winning environment is competition for jobs and accountability. Blash (Grand Rapids AHL coach Jeff Blashill), our scouts and our guys here have done a good job getting the players and have done a good job of creating depth on our roster.…
Babcock believes the Wings are the deepest they’ve been in talent since 2009.
“It’s great to say you have it,… Babcock said of depth. “Everyone says they have it, but most teams don’t have it. It’s hard to have. It just is.
“For a while we didn’t, now we’ve worked hard to create it again. That’s why (Detroit general manager) Kenny (Holland) is so patient with all his assets. He wants lots of them. The more you have the better chance you have.…
The Wings also appreciate that depth, pointing out that they collected 18 out of 20 points in the past 10 games without either of their top two goalies, Howard or Gustavsson, available.
“Things have been great,… defenseman Niklas Kronwall said, pointing to Mrazek’s run of success. “I think just the fact with all the pressure he had on his shoulders to have to perform well he really stepped up and played great for us. His record speaks for itself.
“In saying that, Howie is our No. 1 guy. He’s proven that for years and years. This year I think he’s been better than he ever has. He made the all-star team again. He’s just a calm presence back there. It feels great to have him back.…
Feeling Good Howard is certain that the groin injury he suffered last month is fully healed.
“I felt great out there today,… Howard said. “It was my first time taking the net all by myself for a full practice and it felt really good out there.…
While still awaiting medical clearance to return to game action, Howard seemed to think that was a mere formality.
“They’ve kept in close contact pretty much the whole time, so the doctors know the progress that I’ve made and they know I’m feeling good,… Howard said. “So I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.…
His main concern is getting his timing back after being out of the net for almost a month.
“Sometimes when you first get back out there on the ice you know you’re a hair too fast or you’re a hair too slow,… Howard said. “It’s finding that rhythm and that’s what I’m going to do here in practice.…
Ouellet Demoted The Wings returned Ouellet to their Grand Rapids farm club on Monday.
The club recalled Ouellet from the minors so that he could join his dad Robert on the club’s annual trip with their fathers.
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer