Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

TAMPA, Fla. -- When, one teammate smiled and asked Petr Mrazek, is his vacation over?

The jab came after today's practice at Amalie Arena was over, reflecting how good the Detroit Red Wings feel as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Jimmy Howard, who played both times the Wings beat the Lightning earlier this season, is getting the start, as Mrazek only just recovered from a flu.

The Wings now have the added intrigue of being able to use 6-foot-5 Anthony Mantha to screen 6-foot-7 Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. Coach Jeff Blashill recently asked Howard who the team's peskiest net-front players are, and the response was Justin Abdelkader and Mantha.

"Abby gets a lot of sticks on pucks and does a great job screening, but he said Mantha as well, just because he is so big," Blashill said. "It's hard to see around him.

"You can't teach that kind of size. You can't make up for that kind of size. I just watched a clip with him where he won a battle against Jussi Jokinen in the corner and came up with the puck. That's what he can do with that size. We need him to do that especially on the power play, and especially against a goalie like Bishop."

Howard had two excellent starts during Mrazek's illness, giving the Red Wings confidence no matter who is in net.

"Jimmy has really come in and played with a lot of poise," Henrik Zetterberg said. "It's nice for us to see that we have two good goalies that are ready to play when they get the call."

Mrazek was relieved he finally felt well enough to answer the call to practice. At one point last week, he had a fever of 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Rough couple of days where I couldn't do anything," Mrazek said. It was especially frustrating it coincided with a road trip because "you are just sitting in hotel and don't do anything. The time goes slow and road trip makes you feel you are two weeks on a trip. It was tough. I'm glad it's over."

With Mrazek healthy, Jared Coreau was assigned to the minors.

While Mrazek finally was able to move Sunday, the rest of the team enjoyed the day off in Fort Lauderdale.

"I relaxed," Zetterberg said. "All the rest you can get here now is huge, because all the games are so important."

Note: Minor league forward Eric Tangradi, who played a game with the Wings in January, was extended for two years to a two-way contract.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

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