How this Red Wings player can continue his hot streak after the Olympic break

Red Wings forward Marco Kasper had one of the toughest starts to a season that a player of his level could have. After a strong rookie campaign, Kasper started this season with only three goals and one assist in the first 30 games. After a season of 19 goals and 37 points last season, this was quite the disappointing start.

Since then, the 21-year-old Kasper has been moved up to the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, Kasper seems to have found his previous form. Unfortunately for him, this hot streak was interrupted by the Olympic Break. As the Red Wings games resume on Thursday, Kasper will look to continue the hot streak he brought into the break. 

Ever since Jan. 21, when Kasper was promoted to the top line, he has two goals and four points in eight games. Before this, he only had nine points in 49 games played.  This means that his points per game went from 0.18 to 0.5, which is a massive jump for any player.

The other stat that jumps off the page is his shots per game, where in the last eight games leading into the break, he averaged 2.25 shots per game. In his first 49 games, he averaged only 1.83. The jump in shots on goal for Kasper is more than just a stat. It is a sign that, going into the break, Kasper finally began to find his confidence in his game again. From watching the games, this is something that became very obvious. 

Where does Marco Kasper need to improve ?

The first thing Kasper can do, which is easier said than done, especially after a three-week-long break, is to keep the confidence that he had in his game before the break. Based on how lines have looked at practice so far, it seems like Kasper will continue on the first line. Averaging almost 16 minutes a game since being promoted to the top line, more minutes seem to be a better fit for Kasper so he can really find a rhythm in his game. With both his linemates coming off great Olympic performances, it should leave the line firing on all cylinders. 

Kasper needs to continue to find high danger shot attempts. This is where most players, but specifically Kasper, excel. He is not a player who can make something out of nothing like Lucas Raymond, so he needs to put himself in positions where he can get these higher danger chances. In his last eight games, he had three high danger shots, whereas in his first 49 games, he only had eight. With playmakers like Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on his line, Kasper needs to mainly look at shooting the puck and scoring goals, something that he excelled at last year, when he had more goals than assists. 

Kasper is at his best when he is shooting the puck at a high level. Last year, he had a shooting percentage of 13.1%, which left him with 19 goals on the season. Even since joining Larkin and Raymond, he only had a shooting percentage of 10%. This is something that needs to improve in order for him to score more goals.

Getting greater danger looks will significantly help this problem. Everyone has seen the potential in Kasper. It is more than obvious with the way he ended last season and how he played at the World Championships in the summer. Although he has looked better before the break, there is still more work that has to be done. Kasper is more than capable of replicating his previous play since joining the top line.