Howard to start again (against Dallas)

[hokeychik22 17]

hope ozzie doesnt have the swine, if he still has flu.

[Rivalred 630]

No, he's nowhere near being cleared to play. He doesn't have headaches every day, but he still has them, and now he has an inner-ear issue. It's gonna be a long time until he's back.

Thank you SeeinRed... That is what I thought - last I "read" was the him not suffering from headaches daily, yet was not cleared.

[Rivalred 630]

hope ozzie doesnt have the swine, if he still has flu.

There have been many RNs battling H1N1 and have symptoms for 12 days.

Edited November 17, 2009 by Rivalred

[jollymania 162]

hope ozzie doesnt have the swine, if he still has flu.

doubt it swine flue lasts like a few hours

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Yep. I've got plenty of questions about Howard going back awhile, but none the less, you've got to give the guy a legitimate shot to see what he can do in the NHL as a full-time guy. That's why I think this Osgood illness is good timing. I mean, we're winning games with Howard and plenty of other injuries. Say what you want about his play here and there (I'm fine with it and I've been impressed more than a few times) but it's good that we're still winning with Howard AND all the injuries. That's a real good sign that he'll at the very least pan out as a backup. Obviously it's still early, but I've really got no complaints at this point and still say keep giving him the opportunity to answer all of our questions. He's earned it so far.

Exactly. If we're comparing him to a non-goaltending prospect you could say he's "shown glimpses" of being a starter. No rookie player is fantastic every night, but the truely good ones show glimpses of their potential. The game against Vancouver was one of those glimpses. He's capable of being an excellent goalie if he can string it all together. Not being able to have much fluctuation between good and bad is why goaltending prospects are so notoriously difficult to develop into stars.

[Carman 387]

I'd still trade him for Biron.

[dat's sick 1,002]

ozzie doesnt have the flu he has a hurt groin....

What would be the reason to lie?

[Finnish Wing 110]

What would be the reason to lie?

To cause chaos and confusion.

[titanium2 867]

What would be the reason to lie?

For kicks, man. You know Ozzie. He's a prankster. He totally pulled one over on us last year with his regular season performance. What a guy. Who's got that picture of him putting on the glasses?

[Inultus 12]

Lilja will likely never play again. End of story.

[FinWing 26]

Lilja will likely never play again. End of story.

True. I wouldn't pin any plans on his comeback.

[Dimaline312000 51]

Let's Go Jimmy!!

[mmamolo 287]

This is the best possible time for Howard to get more starts udner his belt. He's won a few in a row, the Wings are hot and everyone is playing well and gelling together. With a rookie goaltender you want to give him starts when you're team can provide him with the best possible chance to win. Obviously with Osgood injured (which I believe is the case, I dotn think he is sick) we don't really have a choice anyways.

As much as I would liek to see Larsson get a start at some point this year it doesn't make sense to throw him in there right now. We need to continue to build Howard and his confidence up. If Larsson were to come in and get rocked not only does it put him a step back in his development but it also brings our hot streak to a screaming hault.

As for the lineup I'm glad the lines are staying the same. Personally I don't really see how you could change them up if you wanted to. You know the DHE line is staying together and no one from our current fourth is getting elevated. The only change I could see would be switching Cleary and Bertuzzi but I think that's counter productive. Bertuzzi needs a passer to have any chance of putting the puck in the net and Cleary's play meshes so much better with Zetterberg. SO I'm glad the lines are staying in tact. Plus, with the way Leino has been playing it's only a matter of time until he starts putting some more points up on the board. He's really looked like a different player ever since he got elevated to the second line. He's more aggressive, more engaged, works hard and is producign chances. He'll get his points soon enough.

[Shady Ultima 40]

I think if Howard gets consistant, he'll be one of the better goalies. I haven't been able to watch all the Wings games, but every time I see him, he looks a bit better than the night before. Hell, he had a play of the week save, and it was a beautiful glove.

I really see him becoming a top 10, maybe top 5 goalie in about 5 years...

[GROwl 5]

Ozzie must be feeling somewhat better (unless you believe in the conspiracy and confusion theory)...as of last night, Daniel Larsson told my spouse that he didn't think he'd be going back to Detroit soon. I guess he found out differently today.

[j.hoop 64]

Yeah, I agree. I still don't think Howard has a future with this team. He's playing just good enough for now. Maybe he's just increasing his trade value. I hope he breaks out and turns into an all-star goalie, I'm just not getting too excited until I see him start to improve his rebounding, positioning and mental strength.

i think jimmy has been pretty solid his past starts. he kept us in the vancouver game and basically won it for us, got a night off vs columbus but he still played good. his game vs anaheim he was left out to dry when ericsson gave the puck to perry, made a rookie mistake on bobby ryans goal, and on the 5on3, i consider it pretty lucky to escape without a goal against.