Wings' Howard calls woes a 'minor hiccup'; Sheahan out

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard has surrendered eight goals on 32 shots over his past two games. He spoke with the media after today's practice at Joe Louis Arena and said his problem simply is a matter of needing to follow the puck better.

He said he's not bothered by an injury nor debate about who should be the No. 1 goaltender going forward.

"It's not mechanical at all," Howard said. "Well, I guess in a sense of a way, it is, because with your eyes following the puck, it's key.

"You get big bodies in front. You gotta focus on the puck and you can't lose sight of it. You know, pucks are going to go in in the NHL. We all know that. It's about brushing it off and making that next save for the guys."

Coach Mike Babcock said after Thursday's 6-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks that Petr Mrazek will start when the Wings host the Tampa Bay Lightning at 2 p.m. Saturday (FSD).

Forward Riley Sheahan didn't practice today and will miss the game with an upper-body injury. Pavel Datsyuk, who has missed the past five games with a lower-body injury, practiced and will be a game-time decision. Fellow forward Erik Cole (upper body) didn't practice and is not expected to play.

Mrazek said Howard remains the Wings' No. 1 goaltender.

"He's proven himself for so many years," Mrazek said. "It's how it is with goalies. Sometimes when nothing hits you, everything is going in. You have to just battle and come back."

Mrazek didn't want to talk about who is No. 1: "I think that's, for sure, Howie."

Howard called his recent performance a "minor hiccup along the way" and said it was a blessing that it is happening now, before the playoffs. He said he has gone over video with goaltending coach Jim Bedard.

"It's just following the puck with my eyes; I think it's just that simple," Howard said. "You know, with a goalie, if you're not following the puck to the best of your abilities, if you're behind that split-second, it can mean the difference."

Howard said he needs to do the right things in practice and then do the same in games. Babcock said everyone needs to better.

"We've chased both games from start to finish," Babcock said of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday and the Sharks game. "It's easy in life to blame everyone else. When you're the coach, you have to look at yourself. When you're a goalie, you have to look at yourself. When you're a (defenseman), you have to look at yourself, or a forward. Bottom line is you gotta trust one another. You gotta do your part. We gotta do our part better."

Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.