Howard Called Up with Hasek Out

The Detroit Red Wings have called up goaltender Jim Howard to back up Chris Osgood for Friday night’s matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Dominik Hasek is expected to miss that game as well as the one on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche with a thigh injury.

“I had a little bit of tightness after the game against Chicago (Tuesday) and yesterday at practice,” Hasek said. “There’s a bit of tightness in my thigh and the trainers said it would be good to stay off the ice.

Hasek’s is just the latest injury to an already-depleted Red Wings team. Tomas Kopecky has been out since December with a broken collarbone, Mikael Samuelsson suffered a broken foot in late January, Dan Cleary sprained his knee last week, and both Henrik Zetterberg and recently-acquired Todd Bertuzzi are out with back injuries.