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AA Scoring All A's Since Being Paired With Larkin |
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Not all that long ago, forward Andreas Athanasiou’s future looked like it might be with another hockey team. Embroiled in a contract dispute with the Detroit Red Wings that carried on into the regular season, Athanasiou contemplated moving to the KHL or Switzerland.
He finally came to an agreement with the Red Wings, and you’d have to agree that he’s played a significant role in the club’s success of late. Entering Friday’s home date with the Florida Panthers, Detroit has won three in a row for the first time since Jan. 14-18, 2017 and the Wings have also won four straight home games for the first time since Oct. 17-25, 2016.
Pairing Athanasiou with Dylan Larkin - a last-minute alternative when Anthony Mantha suffered a groin injury - has prove to be an accidental stroke of genius for Wings coach Jeff Blashill. Athanasiou scored both goals, including a spectacular overtime winner, in Detroit’s 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
Forcing a turnover off the opening faceoff from two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, Athanasiou sped in alone and beat Craig Anderson six seconds after the puck drop for OT.
In doing so, he set a Red Wings club record and tied the NHL mark for the fastest goal to start a regular-season overtime game. Mats Sundin, Alex Ovechkin and ex-Wing David Legwand also scored six seconds into an OT contest.
Sergei Fedorov, who scored 19 seconds into extra time against the Atlanta Thrashers on Dec. 22, 2000, previously held the Wings’ standard for the fastest regular-season OT goal.
Pairing speed merchants Larkin and Athanasiou is causing all kinds of problems for enemy checkers. And to his credit, Athanasiou is utilizing his world-class pace on his blades to get to open ice while playing the wing, an element that’s often been lacking from his game in the past.
“Him and Larks obviously are two real explosive players and when he’s really going, you feed him as much as you can,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said of Athanasiou.”
Going with just 11 forwards, it’s allowed Blashill to double shift his better players, and in Wednesday’s game, Athanasiou also saw time at center between Mantha and Martin Frk, the trio that produced his first goal of the night.
“What did he have, six breakaways?” Blashill said of Athanasiou’s performance on Wednesday, a stat that even had Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg laughing at his own lot in hockey life.
“I don’t know how many breakaways he had, probably double the amount I’ve had in my whole career,” Zetterberg said.
Clearly, Athanasiou, who has squandered lineup promotions offered him in the past by cheating on the offensive side of the puck or by not using his natural gift of speed, is making the most of the chance he’s been given this time.
“There was some opportunity presented to him with Mantha’s injury and he’s earned that ice,” Blashill said. “I’ve doubled him up lots instead of Larkin. I could double Larkin up more into that other center spot, I could double other guys up but I’ve doubled AA up lots because he’s played more consistently hard.
“He’s played the type of hockey he’s got to play to be successful.”
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