Howard's Penalty Shot Save Sparks Detroit to Huge Win

Detroit's won the last eight Central Division titles, often in runaway fashion. So you could argue that Jimmy Howard's penalty-shot stop of Curtis Glencross Monday night was the biggest save a Red Wings goalie has made in March since the turn of the millennium.

The Wings entered Calgary just one point ahead of the Flames in the race for a Western Conference playoff spot. But the Flames just on Detroit early with a Craig Conroy goal 1:47 into regulation. Calgary then had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 late in the second period when Curtis Glencross was awarded a penalty shot after busting loose for a shorthanded breakaway.

Howard, though, rose to the occasion and turned the tide.

Just 40 seconds after Howard's heroics, Pavel Datsyuk beat Miikka Kiprusoff to tie the game at one. It stayed that way until Tomas Holmstrom redirected a Johan Franzen shot past Kiprusoff, 1:19 before overtime, handing Detroit a huge 2-1 victory.

The in basically washed out Calgary's come-from-behind victory in Detroit last week and dropped the Flames three back of Detroit with just 13 games to play.

As for the Wings -- who also happen to be just one point back of Nashville for seventh place and four back of Colorado for sixth -- the remarkable and rapid development of Howard continues. Playing in his first full season in the NHL, Howard has thrust himself full-bore into the Calder Trophy discussion and has made Chris Osgood nearly obsolete in Motown.

Monday's win was just another step forward for the 25-year-old Howard. He was the losing netminder in that 4-2 Calgary win in Detroit on March 8 and didn't hide his desire to pay the Flames back.

"I think we owe Calgary, especially after they embarrassed us in our own barn in the third period,'' Howard told MLive prior to the game. "We'll be prepared and come out and play strong.''

He backed up the talk, too, making 22 saves -- none bigger than the one on Glencross.