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Wings' Larkin shines in home debut
DETROIT -- It was just one week ago that the Detroit Red Wings arrived in Traverse City for training camp.
All eyes were on the Wings' top prospect, Dylan Larkin, throughout the five-day camp. And many more eyes were on the youngster as he made his home debut Thursday night in Detroit's 6-1 victory over the Penguins.
Larkin, the Wings' first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, didn't waste any time making his presence known. During his first shift, Larkin fired a shot that hit the post, narrowly missing the net.
But he wasn't finished yet.
Larkin scored a power play goal when the Wings had a 5-on-3 advantage at 16:44 of the first period to give the team a 2-0 lead.
He scored a second goal with just 9.9 seconds remaining in the game.
"I couldn't help but smile, it was a really cool feeling to hear that goal horn," Larkin said. "It's something I'll remember that for a long time."
There's no doubt that Larkin was impressive in his debut, but that will not guarantee the center a spot on the Wings' roster. Larkin was adamant at training camp that he wants to be more than just an NHL player -- he wants to be a key player on the roster.
According to Wings coach Jeff Blashill, the key for Larkin to earn a roster spot is simple: he just has to be better than the player he would replace.
"Better means lots of things," Blashill said. "Better means playing a good 200-foot game, better means within the role that would be competing for, might be a production thing, might be a penalty kill thing, might be a power play thing. But I don't think he's alone, I think there's a whole group of young guys that are starting to push to be NHL players."
One of those players is Teemu Pulkkinen. Pulkkinen, who is assured of a roster spot with the Red Wings this season, also scored two goals. A prolific scorer in the AHL, Pulkkinen has now scored three goals in the preseason as he tries to work his way into the Wings' lineup.
"When that's what you do (score), you have to score," Blashill said. "I think Pulky's worked very hard at rounding out his game and becoming more of a 200-foot player than when we got him in Grand Rapids. If you're a goal scorer you gotta score so good for Pulky to score tonight."
Tyler Bertuzzi and Brian Lashoff also scored for the Red Wings.
Detroit will host the Boston Bruins Saturday at 7:30 in its fourth preseason game.
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