Jimmy Howard has allowed just two goals in his last three games.

Howard stepped up when Detroit needed him the most at the end of the regular season and now he's rising to the occasion against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Chicago Blackhawks. Detroit has claimed a 3-1 series lead on Chicago in the second round. For a team that entered the season amid low expectations, being on the brink of the Western Conference finals is remarkable and Howard deserves a lot of credit for their accomplishments.

Jimmy Howard stopped all 28 shots he faced in the Red Wings' 2-0 win over Chicago Thursday night.

Howard was excellent in this game and thanks to his strong play, the Wings now hold a 3-1 advantage in their second round playoff series. The series shifts back to Chicago for Game Five Saturday.

Jimmy Howard argued that people underestimating the Detroit Red Wings is nothing new.

"A lot of people have counted us out for many years, saying our leadership is getting too old," Howard said. "And those guys just go out and prove the naysayers wrong. A lot of people picked the 'Hawks to sweep us, and we're playing great hockey against them now. We just gotta keep it up." The Detroit Red Wings didn't make it past the second round in each of their previous three playoff runs, so they didn't exactly defy expectations. At the same time, the Red Wings were seen as a team in transition in 2013 and were expected to regress. They just barely made the playoffs, but the fact that they might even go further than any Detroit team since 2009 is impressive.

Jimmy Howard stopped 39 of 40 shots in Monday's 3-1 win to help the Detroit Red Wings take a 2-1 series lead over the Chicago Blackhawks.

After facing just 20 shots in Game 2, Howard was under constant threat Monday night. He also got the benefit of the crossbar stopping Viktor Stalberg and an interference call negating what would've been the game-tying goal in the third period. Still, it's hard to deny that Howard was one of the better Red Wings on the ice and one of the main reasons Detroit has a real change to upend the favored Blackhawks.

Jimmy Howard turned aside 19 of 20 shots in a 4-1 victory against Chicago.

That's quite a change of pace for Howard after facing 41 shots in Game 1. The Red Wings have managed to split the first two games in Chicago and rob the Blackhawks of their home ice advantage in this series. The Blackhawks were regarded as the overwhelming favorites going into the second round, but Detroit shouldn't be ignored. They might not look as good as the Red Wings' teams of old, but they certainly have enough talent to at least compete with anyone in the league.

Jimmy Howard isn't being blamed for Detroit's 4-1 loss on Wednesday.

Howard was one of the few reasons Detroit even had a chance for most of this contest. The Blackhawks were overwhelming in the second and third periods, but Howard kept the game tied until 8:02 of the third period. "We weren't good enough in front of him," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. "We gave up too many opportunities, and then made some key mistakes down the stretch, obviously." Detroit needs Howard to continue to be one of their best players, but they certainly have to give him more support as well.

Jimmy Howard kicked aside 38 of 41 shots Wednesday night in the Red Wings' 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks in Game 1 of their second-round series.

Howard deserved better in this game. Stingy through two periods with one goal allowed on 23 shots, Howard "caved" in the third, giving up two more on 18 shots, the final goal going in via the empty net. He was the main reason Detroit had a fighting chance to steal this one on the road. That's great news for the Red Wings, who will certainly need Howard to continue to elevate his game against a high-flying offense. The bad news is Howard needs help from his teammates and he didn't get much of that -- from his offense or defense -- in this one.

Jimmy Howard left practice early Tuesday and has apparently been dealing with a sore hamstring.

The Wings don't begin their series against the Blackhawks until Wednesday so this is likely just a precautionary move more than anything. We can't imagine this injury keeping Howard out of Game 1, especially since he's been playing, and playing well, in spite of it. We'll leave him active for now as we fully expect Howard to be in the net Wednesday night.

Jimmy Howard says beating the Chicago Blackhawks will be a "tall order" for the Detroit Red Wings.

Howard's quote is as respectful and platonic as they get in the postseason but that doesn't mean he's wrong. The Hawks are stacked at almost every position and will likely scratch guys that could play for a lot of other teams in the playoffs. Howard was good against the Ducks but will have to take his game up a notch against a Chicago team that swept Detroit in the regular season.

Jimmy Howard turned away 31 of 33 shots Sunday night as the Red Wings eliminated Anaheim from the postseason with a 3-2 victory.

Despite eking into the playoffs, the Red Wings relied on their veteran leadership during this postseason series and Howard was at the forefront of their comeback from a 3-2 deficit. The Red Wings will take on Chicago in the second round.