Jimmy Howard made 22 saves in his NHL debut to lead Detroit to a 5-2 win in Los Angeles on Monday night.
Howard, 4-1-1 in six AHL appearances with Grand Rapids this season, was promoted after Manny Legace was injured in Friday’s loss at Anaheim.
The product of the University of Maine is the 137th player to appear in both the AHL and NHL this season, and the 96th AHL graduate to make his NHL debut in 2005-06.
"The first five minutes I was nervous," said Howard, a second-round draft pick in 2003. "The guys helped me out a lot. They came back hard, broke up odd-man rushes and they cleared a lot of rebounds. They definitely made me look good. I’m 21 years old and playing my first game in the National Hockey League. It’s something I’ll never forget."
