Howard penciled in to start Sunday

--Starting goaltender Jimmy Howard is close to returning from a broken right index finger sustained on Feb. 2. Coach Mike Babcock has penciled him in to start Sunday against San Jose, and didn't rule out the possibility that he could return Friday vs. Nashville. Howard said he is feeling much better after taking shots in practice several days in a row. Howard, who said his conditioning is fine, will play with a regular stick, not the one with the notch cut out for his finger, which he had been using.

--Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson is satisfied with the two-game suspension the NHL handed out to Philadelphia forward Zac Rinaldo for his hit on the Wings defenseman on Sunday. Ericsson said he wasn't expecting to get hit and that Rinaldo left his feet to make contact. The league agreed. Ericsson called it an illegal hit, a dirty play.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"You have to take advantage of home ice. This year we are. It's huge. Guys have stepped up. It's a different guy every night. Twenty-one wins is a pretty good feeling, but we've got to keep going. It's a record but there's one goal every year and that's to win the Stanley Cup." -- G Joey MacDonald.

Copyright (C) 2012 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.