Detroit Red Wings’ Larkin, Athanasiou are game changers

Larkin, 22, also scored the game-winning goal Tuesday against Vancouver. 

“The points right now for the team are most important,” he said. “Those big goals are what hockey is all about and I’ve been pretty fortunate to be on the side of a couple good plays.”

Larkin is averaging around 21 minutes per game, the only forward on the team to top 20 minutes (Gustav Nyquist was next highest at 17:21). He plays in all situations, and plays with high expectations.

“He wants to be the guy that everyone is counting on in this room and be an impact player night in and night out,” Howard said. “I think he’s done that for the majority of most games for us – he’s probably been our best player.”

Entering Saturday’s game at Carolina, Larkin led the Wings with seven goals and 16 points in 16 games. He came into the season wanting to shoulder some of the responsibility in the aftermath of Henrik Zetterberg’s decision to retire, and has come through on a consistent basis. That’s not surprising given Larkin’s drive to be the best.

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“He wants that,” Blashill said. “It’s important to him. He wants to be a go-to guy, always has. He’s got the great inner drive. I think the biggest thing with Dylan is he recognizes that you can’t be a great player if you’re not a great two-way player. When he starts to get loose on the one end, we can have a quick meeting and it’s an easy fix because he understands that ultimately, you get your best offense from checking, and if you check great, you spend tons of time in the o-zone. 

“I think he’s really taken steps — if you look at the course of the last number of six, seven games, he’s been real good.”

So has Athanasiou, 24, and right from training camp. The inconsistency that has marred his performance in the past (last season Athanasiou went 15 games without scoring a goal and contributing only four assists; another time, 13 games without a goal) hasn’t been a factor this season. His habits in practice have been good, and he’s on the ice in key moments. He stood at five goals and three assists after Friday (which was his first game back after being injured for four games). 

“I think anytime I get more opportunity there’s a good chance I’m going to get more opportunities out there,” Athanasiou said. “It’s something I’m confident in, is that I know those  chances are going to come, so it’s just playing hard when I get out there and capitalizing on those chances.

“It definitely feels good, especially when it’s a goal we need late in a game, that’s something that I really enjoy doing, is trying to get the boys back in.”

Athanasiou has trade value for the Wings, but he is veering into untouchable territory (where Larkin already is). The contract dispute that sullied the start of last season is growing ever distant. As much as Larkin is the central piece of the rebuild, Athanasiou’s play is cementing his value to the cause.