Larkin dazzles, Franzen makes preseason debut in Wings’ 6-1 win over Penguins
By Nick Barnowski –
DETROIT – Thursday night’s 6-1 Red Wings preseason win over the Penguins may mean nothing in the standings, but it was important for other reasons.
Dylan Larkin, drawing cheers from the crowd nearly every time he touched the puck, dazzled, while Johan Franzen made his long-awaited return to the ice, playing for the first time since January.
Larkin, considered by many to be Detroit’s No. 1 prospect, certainly made his presence known, scoring two goals in his first game at Joe Louis Arena.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Larkin, who had a number of family members at the Joe to see him play. “It was a really cool feeling to hear the goal horn and put it in the back of the net. It’s something I’ll remember for a long time.”
The Waterford native, who is battling for a spot on the Red Wings’ regular season roster, nearly had a dream start to his first game in Hockeytown, hitting the post on his first shot attempt. He found the back of the net with his second shot on goal, burying the puck from the side of the net for his first preseason goal.
“(The fans) are really rooting for me as a hometown kid and it’s pretty cool to see all of the support,” he said. “I must have had hundreds of family and friends from Waterford and all over Michigan here today. It was pretty cool to look up into the stands and see a lot of familiar faces in my first game at the Joe.”
He added his second with nine seconds left, capping off a pretty tic-tac-toe play, with Tyler Bertuzzi and Teemu Pulkkinen getting the assists.
“I think Dylan has a maturity level way beyond his years,” Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s a confident kid and a down to earth kid and he doesn’t let things bother him. He’s a real, real mature person.”
It was also a solid preseason debut for Franzen, who missed 49 games last season after suffering a concussion on Jan. 6. He spent 16:00 on the ice, which was fourth-most among Red Wing forwards, and played wing on Detroit’s top line with Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening.
“I thought Johan did a good job,” Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said. “I know he’s worked hard because I’ve seen it first hand. He’s been skating for a long time now and has gotten himself in real good shape. I know he’s eager to play and excited to play and I thought he did a real good job.”
Photos by Amanda O’Toole/MiHockey
Franzen tallied an assist on Larkin’s first goal and featured heavily on the power play, logging more than three and a half minutes of ice time with the man advantage.
Blashill also said that Anthony Mantha, playing in his first game at Joe Louis Arena, was part of a young group of players that had a good night overall. Mantha did not record a point but played well on the power play and had chances to score, including one where he had an opportunity to deke the goalie near the crease but was stopped.
“They are a talented group of players and I thought especially early in the first period we were able to create situations where we could utilize that talent,” Blashill said.
BERTUZZI IMPRESSES IN JLA DEBUT
Tyler Bertuzzi, a Detroit 2013 second-round draft pick, was one of the best players on the ice Thursday, registering a goal and three assists in the win.
“It was exciting,” Bertuzzi said. “Everyone on the team is really supporting, and especially being able to produce points and help the team win is really awesome.”
The Guelph Storm product got Detroit on the board first in the opening period and assisted on both of Teemu Pulkkinen’s goals. On Pulkkinen’s second goal, Bertuzzi lofted a puck over multiple Penguin defenders through the neutral zone, landing it right on his teammate’s stick.
“He’s been way better than I thought he was going to be,” Blashill said of Bertuzzi. “Coming into last year I didn’t really know what to expect. He’s real serious about being a hockey player, and if he continues to be real serious about being a hockey player, he’ll be a real good one.”
3-on-3 OT
Despite the Wings winning in regulation, the two teams played a five-minute, three-on-three overtime session to help get used to the new format. This was the second of three Detroit preseason games that will feature the new OT, with the first coming against Chicago Tuesday night.
“I think it’s ultimately going to be great,” Blashill said. “The only interesting thing will be without dry-shaving the ice is how it will hold up. We dry-shaved it in the American League but now here so it will be interesting to see how that goes.”