The Detroit Red Wings will see a familiar face return to Hockeytown tonight, when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes announced Monday afternoon that Petr Mrazek would be starting in net for them.
Mrazek had a multi-year run in net in Detroit, in tandem with Jimmy Howard. Drafted in the 5th round (141st overall) in 2010 by the Red Wings, he stepped in when Howard was battling injuries and managed to steal the starting job for a stretch. But around early 2016, his play started to falter; he saw quite a few games where he let it four or more goals. His position slipped back down to working in tandem in Howard.
There’s a couple Red Wings who are excited to see their former teammate return, including his old neighbor Andreas Athanasiou.
“My old neighbor,” Andreas Athanasiou said after the morning skate. “I haven’t talked to him. I’ll talk to him after. Maybe I’ll text him today, I don’t know. I’m sure it’ll be fun to see him out there.”
The Red Wings traded Mrazek to the Philadelphia Flyers last season for draft picks. After an unremarkable 6-6-3 run with the Flyers, he signed with the Hurricanes as a free agent on July 1st. In four starts this season, Mrazek is 1-2-1 with a 3.06 GAA and .874 save percentage. This includes five goals against on October 7 against the New York Rangers.
The last time Mrazek played against the Red Wings was a 5-4 OT loss for the Flyers last season. Mrazek was pulled after 30 minutes, after letting in three goals on 19 shots. So if history tells us anything, along with Mrazek’s play so far this year, there’s a good chance the boys in red could have a good night. As long as they play like they did against the Florida Panthers, that is.
The Red Wings take on the Hurricanes tonight at 7:30pm ET.
BONUS CONTENT
MUST SEE: Petr Mrazek’s best highlights with the Red Wings
The Petr Mrazek era in Detroit officially came to a close around 10 p.m. on Monday night. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, who needed help in the crease following injuries to both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth.
To view the rest of this content, follow the link below!
https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-red-wings-news/mwhitaker/must-see-petr-mrazeks-best-highlights-red-wings/02-2018/102350/
