Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard misses fourth straight game -NHL Update
Expected to have missed three-games, Detroit Red Wings' main goalie, Jimmy Howard, continued to stay out of the scene for his fourth straight due to a broken finger as the Red Wings managed to edge Anaheim Ducks, 2-1, on Friday night, February 10, 2012.
The 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season has been a big one for Jimmy Howard so far as he played his first All-Star Game during the midseason weekend, but came right out and broke his finger on Thursday, February 2, during their matchup against Vancouver Canucks, though he managed to continue playing.
Luckily, Howard did not require any sort of injury and is expected to begin starting practice with the team by Saturday, but will be unable to manage handling shots directly to the glove until a full recovery comes into play.
"Every single day the finger is getting better," Howard said after the morning skate. "Ideally, I'd really love to have a couple (practices) where I get in there and have a couple good practices before I can get back out there. It's been seven days now, the timing can go a little bit."
Detroit lost two games back-to-back against the Edmonton Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes but have managed to recover since than in the next two with Red Wings overtaking the Oilers in their next matchup and now Anaheim Ducks.
Despite the recovery in terms of winning, Detroit still seems to lack that chemistry they had with Howard and will need him to return as quickly as possible to get back in that form as the playoffs near in day after day.
"It's frustrating because I want to be out there with the guys," Howard said. "I enjoy being out there, I love the competition."
At the moment, Jimmy Howard leads the NHL in wins with 32 in 44 games played, with a .924 saves percentage and 2.03 goals against average.
Selected as the 64th overall pick during the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Jimmy Howard has played five straight seasons with Detroit Red Wings and is currently in his sixth with the team.
Expecting a return sometime next week is something both, Jimmy Howard and Detroit are looking forward to.
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