The current state of affairs in the lives of the Detroit Red Wings goaltenders was easily read by their expressions following Friday’s practice.
Petr Mrazek bubbled with excitement, while in the stall next to him, Jimmy Howard was of a more introspective nature.
Mrazek will get the nod Saturday afternoon as the Wings play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning, quite possibly the team they will face in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, after back-to-back substandard performances by Howard.
It’s feasible that if Mrazek picks up the proverbial ball and runs with it, Detroit’s goaltending position for the post-season could be his to win.
“I don’t think about it,… Mrazek said insisting Howard is still the one wearing the crown. “I know Howie is still No. 1, I’m sure. He’s proven himself for so many years. This year he’s been great.
“It’s just about game by game. We’ll see what happens Sunday (when the Wings play on the road against the New York Islanders). Like I said, Howie’s still the number one here, there’s no question about that.…
At the moment, though, there are legitimate questions being raised about whether that’s still true. Recently, Howard isn’t performing like a No. 1 goalie and he thinks after analyzing video of his recent games with Detroit goalie coach Jim Bedard, they’ve come to a conclusion as to why that has come to be – he’s not tracking the puck effectively.
“After going over the video tape and talking to goalie coach Jim Bedard, it’s just following the puck with my eyes,… Howard said. “It’s just that simple.
“With a goalie, if you’re not following the puck to the best of your abilities and you’re behind that split second, it can make a difference.…
Though they sit side by side in the Detroit dressing room, Mrazek hasn’t chatted with Howard to help him get through his struggles, because he’s certain the veteran Howard isn’t in need of his advice.
“He’s a mentally strong guy,… Mrazek said. “He’s been in the NHL for years. I don’t think I can tell him anything. He knows how it is.
“Sometimes it’s hard for goalies when nothing hits you and everything goes in. Sometimes you have a bad day and sometimes you have a great day. Just stay positive.…
Howard isn’t about to feel sorry for himself and in fact does not believe that his situation will be all that difficult to correct.
“I think it’s a minor hiccup along the way,… Howard said. “It’s just about working hard out on the ice. I’ll continue to do the right things in practice and then it’ll just fall right into place in the games.…
Just 23, Mrazek is still learning on the job and figures he can gain another lesson in what it takes to be an NHLer by studying how Howard handles this bout of adversity.
“He’s here for so many years,… Mrazek said. “It’s nice to see how he handles the pressure.
“I can learn from him a lot.…
Howard isn’t about to complain over his current lot in life, insisting he understands why the move to Mrazek was made.
“It’s no different than anyone else,… Howard said. “When you’re not playing well you’re going to be benched. There’s a lot of guys here in this dressing room that have gone through that.
“You can sit there and have the ‘poor me’s’ about it or you can get out there and get back to work and help your team.…
To Detroit coach Mike Babcock, it simply comes down to a matter of going with the hot hand.
“I like winning,… Babcock said. “That’s it. It’s real simple.
“Everybody in the National Hockey League knows that the best guys get to play and if you’re playing the best you get to play. Our players start each game knowing that. It’s no different.
“Anytime you’re struggling as a player it’s your job to work extra hard when you get your opportunity it’s to seize your opportunity. So it’s no different for Pete Mrazek. He gets an opportunity. He’s got to seize it.
“We just watch and they decide who plays, not us. Everyone thinks the coach decides. All the coach does is observe, no different than you do. He just does it from a different perspective. And then the guys who play the best get to play.…
More Bad News The Wings offered no positive news on the injury front in terms of whether center Pavel Datsyuk (lower body ache) or winger Erik Cole (undisclosed) would be able to suit up Saturday against the Lightning and in fact added another body to sick bay.
Center Riley Sheahan missed practice Friday and won’t play Saturday due to an upper-body injury suffered in Thursday’s loss to San Jose.
“Yeah, he got bumped, so he’s out I don’t know how long,… Babcock said. “Obviously he brings a lot, but someone else gets an opportunity.…
Babcock offered the same stock answer to questions about the status of Datsyuk and Cole.
“I don’t know,… Babcock said. “We made a policy over the last few years that there’s no sense in talking about the guys who aren’t here.
“We’ll talk about the guys who are.…
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