

By Michael Caples –

It’s a cruel, cruel world, being an NHL goaltender.

Let me rephrase that, actually. It’s a cruel, cruel world being a goaltender in general.

When things aren’t going well, it’s the easiest position to point a finger at. In the high-speed, action-packed game we all love, it’s much easier to say, “why didn’t he stop that one?” than something like, “why didn’t the other ‘D’ pick up the trailer?”

We’re all guilty of it at some point in time (unless you’re a goalie, because we know how you defend your own for the most part).

I just don’t know why it’s happening so much right now.

Jimmy Howard’s not the problem. The lack of scoring in front of him is.

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for the Red Wings’ leader between the pipes. His goals-against average and save percentage are lower than in years past. So is the number in the ‘wins’ column on his stats page.

But his goals-against average in the playoffs is actually lower than that of his regular season.

He has allowed six goals in three games. That’s two goals per game. Against the Presidents’ Trophy winners – a team picked by many to make a third trip to the Stanley Cup Final in four years.

Meanwhile, the Wings have only scored two goals. Not per game. Total. I may have failed calculus my senior year of high school, but my math skills are still strong enough to tell you that you’re going to be trailing in a playoff series if you’re averaging less than a goal a game.

Sure, Howard wants another shot at a few of the goals he has allowed in this series. Game 2 wasn’t his best outing, by any means. But giving up goals that were results of a bench minor for too many men on the ice and a terrible line change means there are plenty of other places to pass the blame.

That second goal on Wednesday? He stopped the first shot, people. That’s all you can ask of him in that situation. His defense and his forwards are supposed to be taking care of the other players driving to the net.

Until he starts getting some more support at the other end of the ice, this story will repeat itself. People will call sports talk shows complaining about him. Fans will post tweets about how the Red Wings need a new goalie. The age-old question of, “Will Jimmy Howard be able to lead the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup?” will continue to be asked.

It’s not his fault, folks. Not even close.