CALGARY, Alberta — A week after he spoke in frustration of something needing to change, Dylan Larkin is doing what he can to make that happen.
The Detroit Red Wings will have to shake off a disappointing result as they head into Sunday’s game with the Vancouver Canucks, but parse the 6-4 final from Friday’s outing in Calgary and it bodes well for the team’s future. Their future captain scored twice among eight shots on net, reaching 20 goals with a third of the season to go.
“He’s going to be a superstar,” Calgary coach Bill Peters said. “We didn’t have an answer for him.”
The Wings didn’t have enough answers to push back as the Flames scored four times in the third period, but few teams have an answer for the Flames, who sit in second place in the NHL. The Wings lost the special teams battle, lost another close game — it was 5-4 when T. J. Brodie scored into an empty net — but Larkin was a key reason the Wings were competitive against an elite opponent.
“He was flying out there, skating a lot,” Anthony Mantha said. “Two big goals. I think he’s the number one leader right now in the room. He showed it when the team wasn’t doing good, he was on fire. I think he had a 12- or 13-game spread where he was always on the score sheet. He’s stepped up a lot and hopefully guys can follow him in the next couple games here.”
It was Larkin’s 10th multipoint game this season. He has led the Wings in scoring from the start of the season, and has amassed 47 points in 49 games.
“He’s playing great,” Mike Green said. “He’s doing all the simple things — he’s got composure, he’s skating well, he’s moving the puck. He’s got a complete game. We rely heavily on him and he’s been great for us.”
