Jimmy Howard, Evolving With The Times, Reclaiming The Crease In Detroit
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Jimmy Howard, second-string goalie. It made sense when the season began.
He's quickly turned that notion on its head, by standing on his own.
Howard leads the NHL in both save percentage (.958) and goals against average (1.26) through the first month of the season. Detroit's nominal backup will make his third straight start tonight when the Wings host the Vancouver Canucks.
That's not a knock on Petr Mrazek, who remains the team's goalie of the future. But the hot-handed Howard has, for now, wrested the crease from his younger teammate.
"Jimmy's playing real good hockey and he's playing at such a level there that it just makes the most sense," said coach Jeff Blashill.
Mrazek understands. In fact, he has enjoyed watching Howard rebound after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign.
"It's good. He found his game and got back on track. The season is long so hopefully we can keep it that way," Mrazek said.
Howard was Detroit's starting netminder through his first six full seasons. He lost that title to Mrazek midway through last year and finished with the lowest save percentage and highest goals against average of his seven-year career (non-qualifying seasons excluded).
That didn't sit well with Howard, the 2012 All-Star and 2014 Olympian, so he resolved to turn things around in the offseason.
"Jimmy went to work this summer to improve his game. He spent time with a bunch of goalies up in Wisconsin, a bunch of elite goalies, and came into this season and said every day he's going to go to work and get better," Blashill said. "And that's what he's done. I think no matter you're age, you can keep getting better."
Howard is 32 years old, turning 33 in March. Goalies tend to have a longer period of peak performance than skaters, but Howard's on the wrong side of 30 in the wrong profession. Blashill feels that may have compelled the veteran to tweak his style of play.
"I think sometimes you have to change how you play as you move through your career, for multiple reasons," the coach said. "And he's made little adjustments that I think have helped him."
Two, in particular.
"His crease management has been real good. And I think he's stayed more patient on his edges so he can react from his edges real well," said Blashill. "Every player in here, as they move through seasons and careers, you might have to make adjustments to continue to be elite and he's taken certain steps that way."
Mrazek, now in his fifth year with the Red Wings organization, has seen Howard evolve with the times.
"I would say the game's changed a little bit. You have to be more in the crease a little bit, be more patient and be on your toes more," he said.
That was certainly evident in Howard's last start against the Philadelphia Flyers, in which he made 23 saves in Detroit's 3-2 shootout win.
In overtime, he denied Claude Giroux on a semi-breakaway, calmly denying the Flyers' superstar by moving with him from post to post. He was similarly poised in the shootout, stopping all three of Philadelphia's shooters by forcing them to make the first move.
It was a display of goaltending evocative of Howard's counterpart tonight, Ryan Miller. The Canucks' 36-year-old netminder, who was Howard's teammate at the 2014 Olympics, has long been known for his economy of movement. It's the main reason he remains a viable option in goal after 11 full NHL seasons.
"He still makes it hard for shooters to score," Blashill said. "He's really done a good job of filling space and playing percentages really, really well. He uses his frame well."
"I'm a big fan," he added, before flashing a grin. "I hope I'm not tonight."
Instead, he'll be pulling for Howard, who continues to put last season behind him. He has yet to allow more than two goals in a start this year, after doing so 19 times in 2015-16. And with each strong performance, Howard's momentum grows.
"I think no matter who you are, what type of athlete you are, when you get a chance to go out there and show you can do it, it definitely builds a little more confidence," he said.
That was perhaps the most difficult aspect of last year, when Howard, relegated to the bench, found himself in an unfamiliar situation.
"Just sitting there and not knowing when you're going to play again, that was a huge adjustment. Trying to figure out how to approach every single day. I think I've gotten a handle on that this year," he said. "I think it was a lot easier from the start, knowing everything, where the cards were laid. You were just able to go about your business."
Howard has thrown those cards on the floor and reshuffled the deck. For the time being, he's back at the top.
