Barely over an hour after he’d been announced as the Detroit Red Wings’ lone representative for the NHL All-Star Game, goalie Jimmy Howard fell in a heap on the Verizon Center ice and had to be stretchered off, his immediate future uncertain.
Howard suffered a groin injury while allowing the opening goal of Detroit’s 3-1 loss Saturday to the Washington Capitals. He misplayed a puck behind his net and in a futile attempt to recover his positioning in time to prevent Troy Brouwer’s goal, Howard damaged a groin that he’d previously tweaked last month, forcing him to leave a game against the New York Islanders.
“Obviously, it looked like he was in great pain,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said after the game. “I’ve got no update. He’ll go back and get tested and we’ll see what happens.…
Detroit general manager Ken Holland indicated Howard would return to Detroit. “We really won’t know the extent of the injury until we get pics.…
That Howard needed assistance to leave the ice was of great concern to his teammates, knowing how tough their goalie is in general.
“You know Howard doesn’t get carried off on a stretcher if it isn’t severe,… defenseman Jonathan Ericsson said. “Hopefully he’s going to recover fast.…
Petr Principal Babcock likes to say that one player’s injury is another player’s opportunity and right now, the opportunistic one would be goalie Petr Mrazek.
Third on the depth chart at the start of the season, Mrazek was recalled in November when Jonas Gustavsson suffered a separated shoulder and suddenly, it looks like he’ll be Detroit’s go-to goalie for some time.
Which, each of his teammates insist, is just fine with them.
“For being a young guy he plays with a lot of confidence,… Ericsson said of Mrazek. “I like the way he wants to stay in the game, he wants to play the puck for us. He looks confident doing that and that makes us confident about him.
“I think he’s been making some really nice plays, better passes than the D sometimes. He’s making big saves for us. I feel like he’s comfortable and confident back there.…
Clearly, Mrazek is a much better puckhandler than Howard.
“We know he plays for 60 minutes,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said of Mrazek. “He's going to give us a chance to win. You see that he reads the play very well, he plays the puck unbelievable.
“It's fun to have him back there.…
Babcock believes that Mrazek needs to relax now that the No. 1 role is his for the time being.
“We’re going to have to get him settled down a little bit,… Babcock said. “There’s a point where he challenges and then over-challenges. We’ve got to get that under control. We should have no trouble with that.
“He’s a good goaltender, he plays the puck well and he’ll win games for us.…
A confident kid, Mrazek is certain that he’s ready to shoulder the load for Detroit.
“When I played three games in a row before Christmas, I felt great,… Mrazek said. “Always when you can play lots of games in a row, it helps you get confidence and you're going get into the game.
“But it's not nice to see Howie hurt."
Teemu Time Speaking of opportunities, right-winger Teemu Pulkkinen, who leads the AHL with 20 goals, made his Detroit season debut Saturday.
Held off the scoresheet, Pulkkinen directed eight shots at goal, three of which were on target. “It was OK,… Pulkkinen assessed of his performance. “I know I can play better. I think we played OK. We can play better. Our line, we had some looks there.
“I had some shots there but I have to hit the net. You hit the net, there’s rebounds or you score goals. I just have to aim my shots better.…
Last season, Pulkkinen was also scoreless in three games with Detroit, but this time he insisted, it felt different.
“For sure it was better than last year,… Pulkkinen said. “I played more minutes than last year, had some PP time.
“It was good, but I know I can play better.…
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