|
Mantha finally finding his groove |
|
|
|
|
|
As they move into a new year, it’s difficult to find any feel good stories regarding the Detroit Red Wings.
Forward Anthony Mantha, though, may finally be spinning a positive outcome in his case.
Mantha, 22, who scored twice, including the goal that send the game to overtime, in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Maple Leafs during the Centennial Classic at Toronto’s BMO Field, is beginning to resemble the potent power forward the Wings envisioned when they selected the 6-5, 221-pound right-winger 20th overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft.
“Mantha’s a great player,” Detroit goalie Jared Coreau said. “He plays hard now. He can shoot the puck, he can score. He’s becoming a big-time player for us.
“I think the coaching staff and every one of his teammates have confidence in him when he has the puck and they’re putting in his hands some high-pressure situations.”
Mantha now has nine goals in 22 games - a 33-goal pace over an 82-game season - and after a lull where he tallied once in nine games, has potted five goals in the past five games.
“It’s the confidence,” Mantha said. “The chemistry’s also coming along, the coaches having confidence in me also, which gives me more ice time. So I just need to keep playing the way I am and keep provoking chances for and being good defensively.”
The hobgoblin of all young players is consistency. As much as the hockey world was ready to anoint Toronto rookie center Auston Matthews as the next one following his sensational performance on Sunday, it’s easy to forget that the first-year player who was taken first overall in the 2016 draft went 13 goalless games earlier in the season.
Similar hills and valleys have afflicted Mantha’s game during his development as a pro.
“I think Mantha's confidence is growing,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “When Anthony moves his feet, Anthony is an excellent player, and I think now a couple games in a row where he's really moved his feet, I think three games in a row he's really moved his feet. When he skates like that, he's 6-5, he can skate, he can shoot, he can pass, he's got good offensive thought process. He's a heck of a player.
“So the challenge now is to do it every single night. That's the hardest part in this league. The superstars in this league do it every night, and he'll just have to continue to work towards that, but I think he's really, really playing good hockey right now.
“When he’s moving his feet like that he’s a heck of a player. I thought he did an excellent job of that. I told him that after the game. He just needs to continue to move those feet at that level. If he does he’ll be a heck of an NHL player.”
Injury Updates
The Wings expect defenseman Alexey Marchenko (shoulder) to be good to go in time for the second of their three-game California trip, Thursday at Los Angeles against the Kings.
Two of Detroit’s other walking wounded - forwards Justin Abdelkader (knee) and Darren Helm (shoulder) - won’t play during the upcoming road swing and both are likely about two weeks away from getting back into action.
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»