With three games already under the Detroit Red Wings belt, Octopus Thrower introduces a report that looks at players who are playing well and players who might be struggling a bit. Today we picked five Wings – 3 trending up, 1 trending neutral, and 1 trending down.
Dec 23, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Tomas Tatar (21) celebrates his goal in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Trending UP: Tomas Tatar
All Tatar did in his first appearance this preseason was notch a hat trick against the defending champs–er the Rockford Ice Hogs. But still. Impressive in its own right. The Red Wings are looking for goal scoring and consistency this season and it looks like an early indicator from Tatar, who had his second consecutive season of 20+ goals last season.
With a new coach, and Brad Richards in the middle, the combination looked natural. And why not? Richards only played along side Patrick Kane last season and fed him a beautiful pass to seal the Stanley Cup Final for the Blackhawks.
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Throughout the playoffs, it was the same story. Once again, Richards is flanked by joined by a dynamic young winger who is only getting better. Tatar in his first full season with Detroit, was held back by Mike Babcock. Once given latitude, Tatar was a scoring threat every time he was on the ice. Now with Blashill, Wings fans can be absolutely giddy as the sky is the limit in terms of what Tatar can achieve.
It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Tatar is a 30 goal scorer this season.
Next: Trending UP - Dylan Larkin