Jimmy Howard Leaves Game With Possible Injury

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard could, once again, be injured

As both a goaltender aficionado and a goalie myself, I hate nothing more than seeing a really excellent goaltender fail to stay healthy.

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This season, the biggest issue in net has been in Colorado — starter Semyon Varlamov has spent more time out than in this year with recurring long-term injuries, and the team is suffering for it.

The Detroit Red Wings are more than familiar with this tale; on a team with a revolving door in and out of the lineup due to injuries, Jimmy Howard only made fifty-one starts due to a laundry list of injuries and nagging issues. He started off the season with a 48-hour injured reserve placement — and now, he’s being yanked once again for lower body concerns.

On Friday night, Howard was pulled against the New York Islanders in favor of Petr Mrazek as a ‘precaution’; according to NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk, the starter is apparently suffering from a potential lower-body injury.

For Red Wings fans, this is nothing new — but with a .922 SV% on the season so far, it’s not hard to conclude that the team was hoping for some health-related consistency out of the thirty year old netminder this year. Could be why they pulled him at the first sign of something wrong; but if he’s already showing signs of distress, it’s only a matter of time before something truly goes wrong.

Although it’s undoubtedly a concern for the Wings, though, one has to applaud the team’s diligence in ensuring player health — particularly in light of recent events regarding playing through serious injuries, it might be better to play the ‘safety over sorrow’ card this winter.

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard could, once again, be injured

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