With Great Momentum, Howard Will Start Saturday In Montreal
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
The Red Wings went with the hot hand in goal on Thursday night versus the Canucks, and Jimmy Howard rewarded them.
He made 36 saves on 37 shots to help Detroit steal a 3-1 win.
He'll get the nod again on Saturday night in Montreal, when the Wings take on the NHL-leading Canadiens. Howard revealed the news on the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket on Thursday morning.
The Wings will practice on Friday afternoon in Detroit, but Howard's already itching to take the ice in Montreal. For him, there's nothing quite like playing in the arena of an Original Six franchise.
"When you walk into it, naturally you just feel a buzz about the game. And especially walking into Montreal," he said. "You look up in the rafters and you know all the faces around the building, all the history and nostalgia, it's really neat. You just feel so humbled to be able to go out there and play."
It's a feeling, perhaps, that has characterized Howard's season. The 33-year-old entered the year as Detroit's backup goalie, coming off a disappointing 2014-15 campaign. Playing time figured to be on the decline.
But Howard has roared out of the gate, leading the NHL in both save percentage (.961) and goals against average (1.22) over seven games played. In the process, he has wrested the crease from incumbent starter Petr Mrazek. Howard's start in Montreal will be his fourth straight.
"I feel good out there," he said after Thursday night's win. "It's fun, just going out there and not worrying about anything else and just playing."
The key behind Howard's fast start has been his economy of movement.
"I'm not trying to over-do anything. I'm just trying to get to a spot," he said. "I'm not trying to be flying out of the crease, I'm just trying to get my feet set beneath me and it seems to be working."
That was certainly clear against the Canucks. Howard made a boatload of saves, but none of them were especially acrobatic.
"Jimmy looked solid again," Blashill said "He's not spitting out rebounds, he's controlling the puck, the puck's sticking to him well. He's doing a really good job."
For all the mental preparation inherent to goaltending, Howard seems to be in a clear-minded state between the pipes.
"When goalies are playing really, really well out there, they're not thinking. They're reading the plays and they're just reacting. Nothing's really creeping into your head when you're out there and you're sort of just playing and the game's coming to you," he said.
Immersed in his best run of play in quite some time, Howard will look to keep the momentum going against a worthy opponent. The only goalie as hot as he is right now is the Canadiens' Carey Price, who is undefeated in nine games and boasts a .953 save percentage and a 1.56 goals against average.
"He's a great goalie," Howard said. "He's one of the guys you try to measure yourself against around the league. But at the end of the day, you just go out and play."
