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Goalie nods: Wings go with Howard versus Bolts, again

Steven Stamkos, Jimmy Howard

Steven Stamkos, Jimmy Howard

AP

Jimmy Howard’s last win came on Oct. 13, when he stopped 20 of 21 shots against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

So it makes sense that, tonight, the Wings will start Howard when they go up against... the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Howard gets the start ahead of Petr Mrazek, who stopped 33 of 36 shots in Saturday’s 5-3 win in Ottawa.

Overall, Detroit’s goaltending has been a bright spot in an otherwise uneven start to the year; both Mrazek and Howard have save percentages above .920, and that’s no small feat considering the Red Wings yield 32.6 shots against per game, second-most in the NHL.

Tampa Bay has yet to confirm it’s starter, but Ben Bishop is expected to go.

Elsewhere...

-- Tuukka Rask starts for the Bruins, who host Dallas. The Stars played Monday night and Antti Niemi was in goal, so it’s likely Kari Lehtonen gets the nod.

-- Quick rematch in Brooklyn as Cory Schneider goes for the Devils and Jaroslav Halak goes for the Isles. These two faced off on Saturday in New Jersey, with Schneider making 24 saves in a shootout victory.

-- Marquee matchup at MSG tonight as Braden Holtby and the Caps square off against Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers.

-- Red-hot Mike Condon (4-0-0, 1.50 GAA, .944 save percentage) looks to keep rolling as Montreal hosts Ottawa. The Sens will counter with Craig Anderson.

-- Jake Allen, the NHL’s reigning second star of the week, will make his fourth consecutive start for the Blues. Jhonas Enroth is expected to start for L.A., who had Jonathan Quick in net for Monday’s 4-2 loss in Chicago.

-- Karri Ramo makes his second straight start for the Flames, who take on the Avs in Colorado. Semyon Varlamov gets the nod for Patrick Roy’s club.

-- Edmonton will go with Anders Nilsson, after Cam Talbot’s ugly outing in Saturday’s loss to the Flames. Philly has yet to name a starter after Steve Mason played in Monday’s 4-1 defeat to Vancouver.