Ville Husso Posts Shutout for Griffins In Conditioning Start

Ville Husso served notice that he is ready, or very close to ready,  to return to the Detroit Red Wings lineup by posting a 3-0 shutout against the Belleville Senators in his first conditioning start with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Husso made 25 saves in his first American Hockey League start since 2019-20.

“Ville played extremely well for us,” Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “He saw the shots he needed to see.”

Vibes are HIGH!! 😜✨ #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/Tr4RxvDcLO

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 27, 2024

It’s unclear what this means for the Red Wings. Coach Derek Lalonde hasn’t yet revealed what the plan is for Husso moving forward. Husso was Detroit’s No. 1 goalie, but Alex Lyon has been playing at a high level. Coincidentally, he blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 Thursday. He is one of the primary reasons the Red Wings are back in the playoff race. It seems likely for now that Lyon will play the majority of games, and Husso will be No. 2.

When asked about the situation after the Griffins game, Husso said: “I would say the guy who wins hockey games usually plays.”

This situation is unique because Lyon has never been a No. 1 goalie for any team for any length of time. But he has a .927 save percentage since replacing Husso who has a save percentage below .900 since joining the Red Wings.

Griffins Surging

But the Red Wings also don’t want to overwork Lyon who has played more games (19) this season than he has ever played in an NHL season. The ideal situation would be if the Red Wings suddenly find themselves with two goalies playing at a high level.

Husso said it was “nice to get a win” because he had “butterflies in the stomach” because he had not played a game in five weeks. He was injured Dec. 18 in a game against the Anaheim Ducks.  He said he said he’s been frustrated recently because he knew he was close and needed to start playing.

It helped that the Griffins have been playing well of late. This was the Griffins’ fourth consecutive win.

“They made it pretty easy out there,” Husso said.

More good news for Detroit: Jonatan Berggren scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season and assisted on a goal by Carter Mazur. Marco Kasper picked up an assist.