DETROIT – When a goaltender is struggling like Jimmy Howard has this season, a team’s options ordinarily would include waivers and an AHL assignment.

But the Detroit Red Wings’ options are limited. Jonathan Bernier might be out another week or so due to a lower-body injury and there isn’t much goaltending depth in the organization.

So, the Red Wings might need to start Howard Tuesday at the New York Islanders and back home on the weekend.

Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena wasn’t all on Howard. The players in front of him made mistakes and the team was soft defensively.

But the long-time Red Wings goalie’s numbers show how sideways this season has gone: Howard is 2-15-1, with a 4.10 goals-against average and .880 save percentage.

Coach Jeff Blashill said whatever Howard’s issue is, it’s not work ethic.

“I can tell you he looked great in practice (Saturday), he worked hard, I think he’s continued to work hard with (goalie coach) Jeff Salajko,” Blashill said. “He didn’t expect to play. Bernier had been injured at the end of the previous game (Friday), but we felt he was going to be all right and yesterday he seemed OK and he woke up this morning and it was way worse. So, then all the sudden Jimmy gets thrust into action.

“So, for a guy who’s trying to get to where he can get a groove going a little bit, it’s hard when you’re not expected to start. He’s like the rest of us, we got to keep digging.”

Blashill said he’ll know more about Bernier’s status on Monday.

“I don’t know if it’s a day-to-day thing, I don’t know if it’s a seven-day deal,” Blashill said. “He’s going to undergo a test in the morning.”

Bernier had been playing well the past few weeks, going 5-3-0, with a 2.09 GAA and .937 save percentage in in his past nine outings.

The Red Wings recalled Calvin Pickard from the Grand Rapids Griffins a few hours before the game. He also is an option to sub for Bernier, but Pickard hasn’t fared well in three appearances with the Red Wings, posting a 5.32 GAA and .818 save percentage.

Howard has lost 11 in a row (0-10-1) since beating Edmonton 3-1 on Oct. 29. His only other victory was the season-opener at Nashville on Oct. 5.

Howard didn’t much support from teammates.

Evan Rodrigues scored at 2:39 after Filip Hronek was flattened at his blue line by Curtis Lazar, creating a two-on-one for the one-timer. Rodrigues made it 2-0 on the power play at 5:00 after eluding Brian Lashoff to get to net and swatting the puck in on second effort.

“I don’t know if it’s the defense, I think it’s the full five-man unit on the ice, at both ends of the ice,” Detroit’s Madison Bowey said. “You have to win the net battles and that goes a long way in winning games.”

Zemgus Girgensons scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 12:43 after Robby Fabbri fell down at the blue line trying to corral a pass from Filip Zadina.

“We step up, create a turnover, it kind of bounces to an area where we should have had a guy there,” Blashill said of the first goal. “One of our guys (Hronek) kept skating to the wall. It’s just a young mistake.”

He said of the shorthanded tally: “Fabs can’t leave his feet. You never, ever leave your feet as the top guy there.”

The Red Wings rebounded with a strong second period, outshooting the Sabres 11-3 and getting a goal from Bowey. But the Sabres sealed it by scoring twice in a span of 1:05 early in the third period, goals by Zach Bogosian at 2:35 and Rasmus Ristolainen on the power play at 3:40.

“We have to help out Howie more than we did tonight, especially at the start and on the power play,” Dylan Larkin said. “We have to manage the puck more than we did. We can’t leave him out to dry like that. Unacceptable by us.”

More: Jimmy Howard’s struggles continue in loss to Buffalo