Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard exited in the third period of his AHL start with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday with an apparent knee injury.

The 32-year-old left Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Manitoba Moose with just over ten minutes to play, favouring his leg. He stopped 16 of 17 shots faced before the injury.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said after the game Howard tweaked his knee and would be evaluated Thursday.

Howard is in the AHL on a conditioning stint, rehabbing a knee injury suffered on Dec. 20. He allowed five goals in his first start with the Griffins on Feb. 4.

In 17 games with the Red Wings this season, Howard owns a 5-7-1 record with a 1.96 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.

Last season, he posted a 14-14-5 record with a 2.80 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

Howard is signed through the 2018-19 season with a cap hit of $5.29 million.