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Detroit Red Wings: Spreading some Holiday Cheer

By Bob Heyrman

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 23: Michael Rasmussen #27 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his goal with teammates Niklas Kronwall #55, Nick Jensen #3, Dylan Larkin #71 and Gustav Nyquist #14 during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena on December 23, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 23: Michael Rasmussen #27 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his goal with teammates Niklas Kronwall #55, Nick Jensen #3, Dylan Larkin #71 and Gustav Nyquist #14 during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena on December 23, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Don’t blink or you may miss him blowing by you with his blazing speed.  Andreas Athanasiou may be slumping at the moment, but he was on a tear earlier this season.  Double-A was out for a 5 game stretch earlier in the season and returned to the lineup with a vengeance.

He returned to the lineup notching 9 points over a 7 game span.  During that stretch, the top line sort of went “cold” and the second line paced the Detroit Red Wings.  Frans Nielsen along with Nyquist and AA paced the Wings over that stretch.

Although Athanasiou has been fighting it over the last couple of weeks, he has shown enough earlier this season to warrant a bright spot on this team; he is currently scoreless over his last 11 games.

Jeff Blashill tried to move double-A back to the center position before he was injured.  Things didn’t work out and his minutes over his last two games are an indicator of his struggles.  He played a couple of ticks under 15 minutes against the Flyers and merely 12:27 versus the Hurricanes.

Athanasiou started to fall back into some of his old traits of late.  He has been seen floating around center ice prior to his team being able to clear the defensive zone.  He is looking for that breakaway pass rather than being on the wall providing himself as an outlet target.

He is expected to return to the lineup tonight against the Penguins and is penciled in to start on the wing once again.  Although he is scheduled to play on the third line with Glendening and Rasumssen rather than the second unit, he will look to get rolling once again.  He missed the last couple of games leading into the holiday break.  That along with the three-day break might be just what the doctor ordered.  Hopefully, he is rejuvenated and comes back out of the gate sprinting.

Through 32 games this season AA has 11 goals, 9 assists for 20 points.  He is a minus -1 on the season.  Playing with a below average team that rating is not horrible, especially for a forward like AA who carried a team worst -15 last season.

He has shown enough to impress us, and the future is bright for the young forward.  He will look to get hot and march his goal scoring towards the 30 goal mark this season.

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