Quick Hits: The west isn’t the best?

The Big Story

West no longer best in rapidly changing NHL - By Mark Lazarus: Chicago Sun Times

This is an interesting article, especially if you consider the source. For the last several NHL seasons Western Conference teams and their fans appeared to carry a sense of superiority over their Eastern Conference counterparts, and there may have been a few grains of truth in that boasting. Now it seems that teams in the west are struggling to keep pace and productivity with the east.

In Red Wings Land

How can Anthony Mantha stay with Detroit Red Wings? Net presence - By Helene St. James: Detroit Free Press

Mantha may not have provided the beneficial net presence that the Red Wings would have hoped during Detroit’s trouncing in Montreal on Saturday night, but he will still provide the team with a big body to place in front of opposing goalies moving forward. Anthony has both the skills and the opportunity to currently make a statement with the Red Wings. The next few games will allow Mantha to once again prove that he’s ready to stay in the Detroit lineup.