Red Wings, Jimmy Howard get huge shutout win over Flyers
Jimmy Howard has been in this position before.
In 2012-13, the Detroit Red Wings’ playoff streak was in trouble. Having made the Stanley Cup Playoffs every season since 1991, the Wings needed a four-game winning streak – their first of the entire season – to secure a postseason berth. The architect of that streak: Jimmy Howard, who pitched two shutouts and gave up three goals in four wins.
On Wednesday night, the Red Wings needed him again. With three games left in the season, Detroit was hosting the Flyers before heading to Boston on Thursday night. The three teams were tied with 91 points heading into the Red Wings’ game vs. Philadelphia.
Thanks to Howard, Detroit ended the night ahead of them both.
Howard made 30 saves, earning his first shutout since Oct. 9, 2015 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the Red Wings 3-0 win over the Flyers.
Detroit can clinch a playoff berth with a win of any kind over the Bruins tomorrow night, extending their playoff streak to 26 years. The Flyers, on the other hand, still have to worry about their place in the postseason and the Bruins on their tail, as Boston’s tragic number remained at five points.
For Howard, it continued a strong string of games for Detroit. He’s won three in a row, and hasn’t given up more than two goals in five straight appearances. Not bad for a guy who looked like he was counting down the days to an offseason trade after Petr Mrazek seemingly won the job earlier in the season.
Darren Helm opened the scoring on a bad botch by the Flyers in their own zone.
Helm fired the puck into the left corner where Red Wings forward Brad Richards and Flyers defenseman Shane Gostisbehere gave chase. Richards’ forecheck forced Gostisbehere to dangerously fling the puck back toward his own goal where it deflected off the goal cage to Helm, who managed to deflect it over goalie Steve Mason for the 1-0 lead.
In the second period, it was the Andreas Athanasiou show on a Red Wings penalty kill.
The blazing fast Detroit forward collected the puck after Jakub Voracek couldn’t control it, and was off the races. His forehand-backhand-forehand move beat Mason for the 2-0 lead. It was one of only four shifts he had on the second.
Kyle Quincey closed it out with his fourth of the season, with an assist from the man of the hour – Jimmy Howard.
He had to outduel Mason, who made 25 saves, many of them spectacular. But in the end, it was the Red Wings solidifying their playoff seed and casting a little doubt on the Flyers’ postseason future.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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