With a .932 team save percentage, the Detroit Red Wings' goalies have been the driving force behind an unexpected 6-2 start to the season.

Now this stat - not unlike anything else we measure - tends to revert closer to the league average as the season progresses. But that can't erase the progress Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard have keyed for the Red Wings over the season's two-plus weeks.

So, what's been the difference for the tandem that hasn't allowed more than three goals since opening night? Is it as simple as Mrazek no longer looking over his shoulder, and Howard no longer pressing when he receives opportunities?

General manager Ken Holland seemingly buys into that theory.

"I think Jimmy (Howard) is coming in understanding that Petr Mrazek is the No. 1 goaltender. He's the backup," Holland told ESPN's Craig Custance. "I think you have to practice different. You have a different mental outlook."

But while at $5 million-plus, Howard is far too expensive for a clear and defined backup role - especially on a cap-strapped team - Holland still sees value in keeping the veteran in the support role he's embraced.

"We were hoping, believing, the one-two punch we had in goal was going to be a strength," Holland said. "In the early going, it has been."

Howard, who's allowed just one goal across two starts against formidable opponents in the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks, will get his third start this weekend when the Red Wings host Boston and Florida on back-to-back nights.

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