Howard (back) expects to be healthy enough to serve as the backup for Thursday's road game versus the Hurricanes, Dana Wakiji of the Red Wings' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Howard was scheduled to face the Flyers on the road Tuesday, but the veteran explained that his back "locked up" during warmups, hence the reason why Jonathan Bernier subbed in and ultimately took a 3-2 loss. Fortunately, if this was a serious injury for Howard, there's almost no chance he'd declare himself fit to serve as the No. 2 option for the upcoming contest.