Jimmy Howard was so good filling in for Chris Osgood that he's taken over as the Wings' No. 1 goaltender. (David Guralnick/The Detroit News)
Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano thinks he'll be back in Detroit in a few weeks -- to see his team in the playoffs.
"I'm optimistic," Devellano said in a telephone interview Monday from Lakeland, Fla., where he was about to watch the Tigers play the Blue Jays in a spring training game.
"We're a healthy team now. Our best players are really playing well, especially on defense with (Nick) Lidstrom, (Brian) Rafalski. Saying all that, you've got to win games."
Monday's game in Calgary was a particularly important one, Devellano pointed out, as are the remaining two games against Nashville. Those teams are in a tight race with Detroit for the final playoff spots.
Before Monday, the Predators were in seventh with 81 points, the Wings eighth with 78 and the Flames ninth with 77.
"At this point, the team's done a great job hanging in with so many devastating injuries," Devellano said. "I sort of knew it was going to be a tough year. (Losing) a 40-goal scorer in Marian Hossa, a 23-goal scorer in Jiri Hudler, and Mikael Samuelsson, who had 19 goals ... What we didn't need or anticipate were the horrific injuries. Just losing (Johan) Franzen might have been enough to put us out. This team has been real resilient."
Devellano on Howard
How impressive has rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard been?
Very, and that's been somewhat of a surprise to Devellano.
"Some people are annoyed that I say that, but it's the truth," he said. "He's really, really come through. He got on a roll, such a roll that you can't get him out of there."
This and that
A look at some other topics Devellano touched upon:
By the numbers
8: Wings ranking in power-play percentage (19.5)
10: Wings ranking in goals-against (2.60)
12: Wings ranking in penalty-kill percentage (83.0)
Marathon man
Yearly games played for Wings captain Nick Lidstrom:
| Year | Reg. sea . | Playoffs | Total |
| 1991-92 | 80 | 11 | 91 |
| 1992-93 | 84 | 7 | 91 |
| 1993-94 | 84 | 7 | 91 |
| 1994-95 | 43 | 18 | 61 |
| 1995-96 | 81 | 19 | 100 |
| 1996-97 | 79 | 20 | 99 |
| 1997-98 | 80 | 22 | 102 |
| 1998-99 | 81 | 10 | 91 |
| 1999-00 | 81 | 9 | 90 |
| Year | Reg. sea . | Playoffs | Total |
| 2000-01 | 82 | 6 | 88 |
| 2001-02 | 78 | 23 | 101 |
| 2002-03 | 82 | 4 | 86 |
| 2003-04 | 81 | 12 | 93 |
| 2005-06 | 80 | 6 | 86 |
| 2006-07 | 80 | 18 | 98 |
| 2007-08 | 76 | 22 | 98 |
| 2008-09 | 78 | 21 | 99 |
| 2009-10 | 68 | * | * |
| Totals | 1,398 | 235 | 1,633 |
Classy class
Players drafted in 1989 still playing:
| Player | Goals/season | Goals/playoffs | Total |
| Adam Foote | 1,095 | 164 | 1,259 |
| Bill Guerin | 1,250 | 129 | 1,379 |
| Kris Draper | 1,096 | 202 | 1,298 |
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