The Wings have activated Darren McCarty off the IR and sent him to Grand Rapids to join the Griffins for a conditioning stint.
Unfortunately, Griffins fans will have to wait until next Wednesday to see Mac in person, as the team begins a three-games-in-three-nights road trip on Friday in Syracuse. They have just one home game in their next six.
I assume he’ll be in the AHL for the full 14-day limit set on conditioning stints.
Ansar Khan reports that Brad Stuart will return to the lineup against the Sharks, taking his familiar spot alongside Niklas Kronwall.
Khan also says that Babcock will “rotate the goalies the rest of the way.”
Didn’t see this yesterday: Ansar Khan reports that Chris Osgood “is expected” back on the bench for Wendesday’s game against San Jose, which Ty Conklin will start. Osgood will likely play Friday against LA.
So it looks like “won’t be dressing for 10 days” meant “won’t be dressing for 10 days from the time of his last start” rather than “won’t be dressing for 10 days starting Friday,” as George Sipple reported last week.
If Khan is right (his source is Holland), that means two things: 1) no Daniel Larsson.
And 2) the whole controversy over the 10-day hiatus was overblown. Ten days between his Colorado game and his next appearance in uniform is much more conventional than ten days from Friday. It was more of a natural break in the schedule with Howard thrown in than an extreme measure.
This is why precision in reporting is important.
I missed this last night because I had to take the dogs out, but George Malik reports that the FS Detroit crew said Jimmy Howard was returning to Grand Rapids after the game, something Ansar Khan first reported Friday. The AHL transaction wire confirms the move. He’s expected to play this afternoon for the Griffins, relieving Daniel Larsson, who’s played the last two games sick in Howard’s absence.
Expect Larsson to get the call this week, as Chris Osgood’s 10-day hiatus continues. Howard could be brought back, but it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to shuttle him back and forth like that, so it seems to me that a Larsson recall is the next step.
Lidstrom minus-2
Datsyuk minus-1
Rafalski minus-1
Zettberberg minus-1
Hossa minus-2*
Howard 24/28
That’s all you need to know about this game.
Moving on…
*Update: Originally listed as minus-1. I apparently didn’t wait long enough after the game for the stats to get updated on NHL.com. – Matt
… This is the third of four meetings between these teams this season. Detroit leads the series 2-0 with wins Jan. 3 and Feb. 12. The final game of the series is April 5th in Detroit.
… The loss to the Wings on the 12th kicked off three-game skid for the Wild, who followed up with losses to Ottawa and Calgary. They managed a point in the loss to the Flames, however, so the past three games haven’t been entirely unproductive.
… They’ve fallen behind in the playoff race somewhat, standing now at 10th with 60 points. A win tonight, however, would put them right back in 8th place if Edmonton loses to Calgary.
… The Wild will be without Marian Gaborik (hip), Craig Weller (head), and Kurtis Foster (leg). Andew Brunette (lower body) is a game-time decision after skating today. Derek Boogaard is listed as questionable with the flu.
… Nicklas Backstrom will start for Minnesota.
… George Malik scouts the Wild here, with a post that has one of the better headlines I’ve seen: “Scouting the Wild: It’s furrowed brow time in Lemaire land.”
… The Wings are 2-1-1 since they saw Minnesota last and are coming off a 5-2 win over Anaheim last night.
It was a game that began badly, with the Ducks scoring a power play goal in the first minute, but one the team took over before long. They were lead by Henrik Zetterberg, whose goal and two assists got the Wings the win. All in all a good game, and a continuation of their generally improved play (with a few exceptions) this month.
… The win brought the team within a point of San Jose, who do not play tonight. Update: Wow, I missed the Sharks/Thrashers game on my quick scan of the scoreboard today. Sorry about that. It turns out the Wings can only stay within one with a win, while the Sharks will retain three games in hand. - Matt If they can win tonight, they can take first place, though the Sharks will retain four games in hand.
… The Wings will again be without Tomas Holmstrom (sports hernia), Brad Stuart (back, ribs), and Brett Lebda (back).
… Ville Leino was the healthy scratch last night, but may return to the lineup in Minnesota, if Babcock holds true to his promise to continue to rotate the players on the fourth line. If that’s the case, it should be Tomas Kopecky’s turn, since Kirk Maltby sat out Wednesday.
… Jimmy Howard will start in net and will be backed up by Ty Conklin. This may be Howard’s only chance this season to show the Wings he’s able to compete at the NHL level. He’s showing them he’s still in the fight at the AHL level, but that data’s incomplete until the end of the season.
… The Wild will be looking to end their streak tonight, but they will be hardpressed to do it against the Wings if Detroit plays like it did last night, or even in their last meeting with Minnesota. Facing Jimmy Howard may help the Wild’s chances on paper, but chances are the Wings will play extra tight defensively to compensate for Howard’s inexperience.
I think it’s safe to say that this game will be an interesting one, but not because of anything the Wild or Wings skaters do. All eyes in Detroit will be on Jimmy Howard.
If you’re looking for an overblown response to the Howard call-up, go here. If you’ve been reading A2Y at all over the past few months, you won’t be surprised. Bill and so many of the “19″ have taken anti-Osgood rhetoric to new and ridiculous heights.
I have a particular issue with this:
I can’t help but think, continue to think, that we’ve seen Chris Osgood play his last meaningful game as a Detroit Red Wing.
No. This does not mean Osgood is effectively done. It means the Wings want a look at Jimmy and this happens to be a convenient time to get it. Osgood’s troubles provide an excuse to call Jimmy up, not a problem to which Howard is the solution.
I don’t like using OtW as an attack platform, but this is getting ridiculous.