Detroit – Coach Jeff Blashill went with the hot goalie Thursday.
In this case the real hot goalie, Jimmy Howard, and it again paid off.
Howard got his third consecutive start and again was one of the Red Wings’ best players in a 3-1 victory over the struggling Vancouver Canucks.
Howard stopped 36 shots, while Dylan Larkin, Brendan Smith and Steve Ott scored for the Red Wings (8-6-1, 17 points), who won their second consecutive game.
“Howard was phenomenal again for us,” Ott said.
In the third period Howard made big stops on Brandon Sutter trailing on a rush, and Luca Sbisa shorthanded to preserve the lead, before Ott’s goal at 15:14 – his first since March 10, 2015 and first as a Red Wing – deflecting Jonathan Ericsson’s shot, gave the Red Wings a 3-1 lead.