There is a rush of optimism in Little Caesars Arena every time Anthony Mantha puts a puck on net. For the first time in far too long Detroit has a shooter. Seeing the puck on Mantha’s stick on a breakaway with 30 seconds left in a 2-2 game brought the fans to their feet. Big Mo’s shot kept them there.

Mantha now has 4 goals and 2 assists in 5 games vs VGK. Athanasiou had a goal, adding to his 2 assists in previous contests. Larkin added a helper and has 4 assists in 5 games. Madison Bowey had an eye opening goal while falling and turned his spin on the ice into a celly. Fabbri had one assist and has 3 points in his first 2 games with Detroit.

Detroit has some confidence to continue to build on. Bernier helped keep the team in a low shooting affair (each team only had 19 shots). The Power Play connected again, the PK killed both of VGKs man advantages.

On the Vegas side, Marchessault continued his strong play against Detroit with another goal. He now has 3 goals and 1 assist in 5 contests. Pacioretty scored a Beautiful wrist shot. As a player, Max finds space and gets pucks on net. He is a formidable opponent, and has rightly earned the respect of his peers.

For Detroit, the past 2 wins represent a lot more than 4 points. Special teams are coming together, and new faces are fitting in. They have belief in the room, and a GM who is willing to provide them with tools and upgrades, even during a season with low expectations.

This group is fun to watch. After far too many losses, you can see the elation on each player’s face when things go the right way. These wins are windows into the team’s future. Young talent finding their way in the greatest league in the world. On night’s like this, the future seems bright. The players can now enjoy a 2nd positive press conference in a row after a string of “we all need to be better” and uncomfortable speculation. These players need to hold on to how good it feels to succeed, and let it feed their hunger for more.

Thanks so much to everyone who stops by to read and comment. Keep it coming!

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