On the eve of their most challenging road trip of the season, the Red Wings assigned goaltender Petr Mrazek to their American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids and recalled right wing Teemu Pulkkinen.
Returning Mrazek to the Griffins was expected, since both Jimmy Howard and backup Jonas Gustavsson are healthy again after lengthy absences from injury. Pulkkinen's recall was inevitable; with teams tightening up their defenses and goals harder to come by as clubs jockey for playoff spots -- and Tomas Jurco struggling to produce points -- Pulkkinen will get every opportunity to prove he belongs.
"He's an NHL player, no question," said General Manager Ken Holland.
Pulkkinen, 23, has 30 goals among 57 points in 44 games for the Griffins, including 18 points (10-8-18) in his last 11 games since he was reassigned from Detroit on Jan. 20. His 30 goals leads the AHL -- by seven more than the next goal-scorer.
A native of Vantaa, Finland, Pulkkinen was Detroit's fourth selection (111th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. His calling card is a shot that will instill fear in the opposition.
"He can score on any goalie in the world," Grand Rapids coach Jeff Blashill said. Pulkkinen had one goal in six games with Detroit in January.
Mrazek, also 23, has appeared in 20 games for the Wings this season, posting a 13-5-1 record with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage and one shutout. More importantly, he was 8-2 while both Howard (groin) and Gustavsson (dislocated shoulder) were on injured reserve.
A native of Ostrava, Czech Republic, Mrazek was selected by Detroit in the fifth round, 141st overall, in the 2010 draft.
Howard, meantime, feels like he's knocking the dust off his game after missing nearly five weeks. He was carted off the ice in Washington on Jan. 10, barely an hour after learning he was selected to play in the NHL All-Star game.
By his own admission, he struggled in his return Saturday, a 5-4 shootout loss to Winnipeg. But he was outstanding Monday against Eastern Conference-leading Montreal, stopping 28 of 29 shots in a 2-0 loss.
"It was a lot of fun, actually," Howard said. "I felt good. I'm feeling more and more at home out there...But it's still a work in progress."
The Wings play at Chicago on Wednesday, starting a streak of six games in 10 nights -- all against Western Conference teams.
