DETROIT -- Out of the playoff picture and with only a few games remaining in 2017-18, the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators are focusing on young players who will, hopefully, be part of their futures.
Detroit will host Ottawa on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in a matinee game.
Anthony Mantha, in his first full NHL season, leads the Red Wings with 24 goals. He had a goal that ended an 11-game drought, his longest of the season, and an assist in Thursday night's 6-3 road win over the Buffalo Sabres. At 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, Mantha has the talent and size to develop into a consistently dominant player.
Mantha has been dominant at times this season and he's working on being more consistent.
"I think my consistency this year was a little better the whole year," Mantha, 23, told www.mlive.com. "I just had a big slump, but I think I was playing pretty good hockey in general. It's something I talked to Blash (coach Jeff Blashill) about a lot this year. It was something he thought I got better at."
Mantha has, generally, always been better, bigger and stronger than his opponents before arriving in the NHL.
Blashill wants Mantha to win more puck battles, more races to the puck, bend his knees and go to the hard areas in front of the net and in the corner and be more physical.
"You have to bring other elements," Blashill said. "When he skates, he wins puck battles. When he skates, he wins puck races. When he skates, he eliminates chances against on the track. When he skates, he creates turnovers on the forecheck.
"As long as he has minutes, he'll score because he's a talented kid, but to help us win and score and become a great player, he's got to make sure he's doing those other things and I think he's done a good job of it."
Meanwhile, the Senators hope 21-year-old forwards Colin White and Thomas Chabot will be a big part of their future.
Ottawa defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime on Thursday in Ottawa. Chabot had a strong game and only a great save by Florida goalie James Reimer prevented Chabot from scoring the winning goal. He played particularly well in overtime.
"You have so much more time, more room to skate, and try things that I probably wouldn't try five-on-five," Chabot said.
Coach Guy Boucher thinks White's confidence has improved tremendously after a stint with Belleville of the American Hockey League. White also played well on Thursday, his first game back after being recalled from Belleville, on a line with Zack Smith and Magnus Paajarvi.
"He's less hesitant, more confident, he didn't make s single mistake (Thursday), and that was the goal: to have him down there until he gets that assertiveness, that speed of execution at the NHL level," Boucher said. "If he hadn't done it (in the AHL), he wouldn't be here."
