Why The Red Wings Need To Go Back To Jimmy Howard [BLOG]
By: Craig Peterson
Petr Mrazek has been fantastic in goal for long stretches of the Red Wings' season, so much so that he replaced Jimmy Howard as the number one goaltender three months ago and has fans buzzing about the 24-year-old's future in Detroit.
However, with just 17 games left on the schedule — and the Wings fighting for points in the Eastern Conference wild card race — its time for coach Jeff Blashill to go back to his veteran net minder, as the young Mrazek appears to have hit a performance wall after back-to-back losses to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Mrazek appeared in his 45th game of the season on Sunday, albeit a short appearance being pulled after giving up two goals on five shots in just 6:19 of game action. He has now given up five goals in three of his last seven starts with a 3-3-1 record in that span. The total number of games may be the most telling statistic though, as it's the most games Mrazek has played professionally in a single season.
A fifth-round draft pick of the Wings in 2010, Mrazek played in 42 games in the 2012-13 season for the Grand Rapids Griffins. The following season, he played nine games in Detroit and 32 games in Grand Rapids for a total of 41. And last season, he appeared in 42 games, 29 with the Wings and 13 with the Griffins.
The grind of an 82-game NHL schedule is starting to take a toll on the Wings' young stars like Mrazek and Dylan Larkin — whose experiencing struggles of his own, producing just one goal and one assist in his last 12 games — so handing some of the workload back to Howard could be the answer to success down the stretch.
The team is in desperate need of points and Blashill can't afford to exhaust Mrazek with an overwhelming workload. The young goaltender has reached a portion of the schedule he's never experienced before and is already showing signs of fading performance. Howard on the other hand, appears to have worked himself out of his own struggles, with a .931 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average in his last four games.
Strong goaltending will be the only way the Wings find their way into the playoffs as the lack of offense and goal scoring continues to be a major concern. I know Wings fans will be hesitant to put faith back in Howard after his quite obvious struggles earlier in the season but a goalie in hockey is like a running back in football, you've just got to ride the hot hand.
Going to a 50/50 split in goal will provide Mrazek some much needed rest and reward Howard for his recent successes while keeping both goalies fresh and giving the team its best chance at winning games in the final month of the season.
I know it sounds crazy to talk about a goalie that went 0-5-4 in 11 straight games just a few weeks ago as being the Wings' starter, but with the team struggling and in desperate need of wins…it is time to lean on Jimmy Howard.
