Red Wings youngsters stand out in preseason battle with Pittsburgh

 

By @MichaelCaples –

DETROIT – Let’s face it, for the 2017 preseason, the Hockeytown faithful are tuning in for two reasons.

The rink and the youngsters.

The latter delivered Monday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The former did, as well, if you attended the game at Little Caesars Arena (at least we hope it did).

The youngsters, however, will determine how much success the Wings have this season and in the upcoming years at LCA, and for that, Monday night’s 4-1 win was at least a reason for some slight optimism.

Michael Rasmussen, all 18 years of him, scored the game’s first goal with a fearless drive to the Penguins’ goal. Anthony Mantha scored the next, in similar fashion. The third came from Tomas Tatar…with Rasmussen parked out front.

If reporters are writing that on a consistent basis in a few years, the Wings will be back on track.

Sure, Pittsburgh brought the JV roster to Little Caesars Arena. No Crosby, no Malkin, no Murray. You can only work with what you’re given, however, and Jeff Blashill still must have been pleased with the production.

Rasmussen’s tally came at the 13:14 mark of the first period, as the most-recent Detroit first-round pick helped the Wings convert on the power play. That’s why he was ranked as a top-10 player in this summer’s NHL Draft – he’s a power-play threat.

In the middle frame, it was Mantha striking for the Wings. The 2013 first-round pick regained possession of the puck during his drive towards the crease, displaying the hands that have given Wings fans such high expectations for No. 39.

Closing it out was Tomas Tatar. Fitting, almost; it was like three different generations of Red Wings prospects scoring for the Wings (ignoring Ouellet’s empty-netter, of course). Rasmussen did what a 6-foot-6 power forward is expected to do – he took up space, caused problems for goaltender Tristan Jarry, and helped Tatar get the puck to the back of the net.

There was a notable name on the Wings’ blue line, as well, as Dennis Cholowski got his first taste of hockey at Little Caesars Arena. The 2016 first-round pick was +2, and he picked up an assist on Mantha’s second-period goal.

Jimmy Howard, making his second consecutive start, stopped 11 of the 12 shots sent his way in two periods of hockey. Tom McCollum played the final 20 minutes for Detroit.

Final stat lines:

Rasmussen – 1 goal, +1 rating, 16:05 time-on-ice, 3 hits, 55 percent in the face-off circle

Mantha – 1 goal, +1 rating, 17:33 time-on-ice, 3 shots

Cholowski – 1 assist, +2 rating, 17:20 time-on-ice, 1 shot