The Detroit Red Wings will be without their star goaltender for another game, as Jimmy Howard is set to miss Saturday's game against the Nashville Predators with a broken finger, according to the Detroit Free Press. Howard has been out since Feb. 2 with said broken finger and the team was hoping he'd be prepared to face Nashville. Howard himself had called it a "realistic goal" that he return to face the Predators. Maybe he's ready to go and they're just being safe.
Definitely a possibility given their next opponent following Nashville, the San Jose Sharks. The two rivals are set to play on Sunday, and head coach Mike Babcock has already named Howard the starter for that game. Detroit will need him in net against San Jose, a Western Conference rival, and could really have the advantage, given the circumstances. If Howard really is good to go, he's well-rested and taking on a Sharks team that is on a nine-game road trip and has its second back-to-back this week, before a short rest prior to the game against Detroit.
Though injury is never a good thing, it has given the Red Wings a little more of a look at their backup situation, where Joey MacDonald has come into his own and looked like the better goalie. Ty Conklin, the immediate backup, hasn't played nearly as well, so the Red Wings could make the move to try to send him down to the minors following the Nashville game.
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