Mrazek Pulled From 5-1 Loss; Babcock Points To Youth, Inexperience [VIDEO]
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Detroit Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek gave up five goals in two periods Thursday in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, which jumped into first place in the Eastern Conference with the win.
Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock pulled Mrazek from the game, but afterward he did not lash out at the 22-year-old who has filled in as the starter with both Jimmy Howard and Jonas Gustavsson out with injuries.
"You've got to give him credit," Babcock said. "He's a kid who's gone 10-4-1."
"He's our third goalie," Babcock added. "When they got hurt, he still had great moxie. He's got NHL moxie. His skill level, he's still got to work at his skill level, and he's a pup, though, he's a kid. So you think about how - he spent five years in the minors. That's just the process of being a goaltender ... That's just the process of being a kid. His moxie's so good, but we've got to get his skill level, he's got to continue to battle and work on the details of his game, and then it will show more consistently."
Mrazek was also pulled from the Jan. 18 game against the Buffalo Sabres, when he allowed three goals in the first period.
Babcock said Thursday the Red Wings played well in the first period against Tampa Bay but that the flurry of goals made it difficult to stay in the game.
"I thought we had good attention to detail," Babcock said. "I thought we played good. I thought that might have been our best first period in a while. The puck just went in the net tonight, let's be honest. It was in the net every time they shot it, and so you're down by not quite a touchdown but a chunk right off the get-go, so we just had a good run here, won six in a row, we got spanked here tonight."
The Red Wings, now one of three teams tied for second in the East, return to Joe Louis Arena on Saturday to play the New York Islanders, one of the teams with which they are tied.
Per the Associated Press, Gustavsson could soon be ready for a minor league rehab assignment, but number one goalie Howard may miss a few more weeks.
