Good things come in threes and for the Detroit Red Wings and Tomas Tatar that was evident in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena.
The line of left-winger Tatar, center Riley Sheahan and right-winger Gustav Nyquist combined for three goals. Tatar tied a career-high with two goals and established new personal bests for points in a game (three) and goals in a season (20).
He is the ninth NHL player to ascend to the 20-goal plateau this season.
“I played with Gus and Shea for a little while now and I guess there's some chemistry,… Tatar said. “The whole team is doing right now good; every line is playing really good for us.
“It's fun to play on the ice when we're winning and when we're doing good.…
As for his personal accomplishments, Tatar was less enthralled.
“I don't know, I never really thought about it,… he said of getting to 20 goals. “Obviously it's a nice accomplishment. I'm not really thinking about it right now, but obviously I'm happy I did it and hopefully I'll keep scoring and help the team pick up wins. Right now I don't realize it. I took it as just another game and we won and that's the big thing right now.
“Hopefully I keep shooting and keep scoring.…
In his first nine games of the season, Tatar had one goal and no assists. Since then he has 19 goals and 12 assists in his last 36 games and 8-2-10 totals in his last 11.
“He’s a very dangerous scorer,… teammate Stephen Weiss said of Tatar. “He’s got a real good shot and he’s got a lot of energy. He’s a fun guy to be around, a fun guy to be around in practice. He practices hard and he works at it.
“It’s turned him into quite the star.…
Using His Head Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg got credit for the goal of the night. Circling the Nashville net, he lifted a puck back toward the goal. It banked off the backside of Nashville captain Shea Weber and then off the back of the head of Predators goalie Marek Mazanec before settling into the twine behind him.
“I couldn't believe how he scored,… Tatar said. “I thought he was behind the goal line but that's what I was saying, when you try shooting the puck, it can end up in.
“It's a tough league. There's lots of scrums around the net. It was a good try and it ended up in the net.…
To Tatar, it was simply a sign of how clever Zetterberg is and how he’s always thinking the game.
“He's sneaky,… Tatar said. “He's really smart, a veteran player and it was a good shot and it went in the net.…
Jurco Update Right-winger Tomas Jurco, out with a disc problem in his back, is making steady progress in his recovery.
“He saw a back specialist who prescribed some medication,… Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. “It appears the medication is working. He’s getting better every day.
“He should be back after the All-Star break.…
Wings Fan Long before he wore the Winged Wheel on his chest, Detroit defenseman Xavier Ouellet was following the team.
“It’s pretty amazing,… Ouellet said of playing for Detroit. “Growing up I was a huge fan of (Detroit defenseman Nicklas) Lidstrom, so the Red Wings have been a little somewhere in me since I was a little kid.…
Deciphering what he liked about seven-time Norris Trophy winner Lidstrom is easy for Ouellet to explain.
“To me he was the best defenseman that played the game,… Ouellet said. “As a young kid I watched him play a lot and I just loved the way he played.…
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