Detroit — Jimmy Howard apparently hasn’t lost much at all.
In his first start since Dec. 20 — Howard sprained his knee that evening — Howard looked to be in near peak form while helping the Red Wings to a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Howard stopped 24 shots and overcame giving up a goal on the first shot he saw — by Artemi Panarin on a slick 2-on-2 passing play with Patrick Kane — to help end the Red Wings’ 4-game winless streak.
Tomas Tatar had two goals and an assist, and Xavier Ouellet and Andreas Athanasiou also scored for the Red Wings (26-29-11) — and Gustav Nyquist had three assists — as they returned home succesfully aftter a long, ragged five-game trip.