The Red Wings found themselves on the other side of a somewhat-sizable deficit on Thursday night in their tilt against the Arizona Coyotes. After going down 2-0, the Wings entered the 3rd period only to tie the game on a goal by Gustav Nyquist, which ended his cold streak, but won in overtime thanks to this marvelous shift by NHL all-star rookie Dylan Larkin who setup defenseman Danny DeKeyser for the game-winner:
Larkin, a 19-year-old Michigan-born phenom has posted 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in his first season with the Wings, which is tied for team-lead next to captain Henrik Zetterberg.
There’s no doubt about it, folks – This kid has been the early candidate not only for the Calder Trophy, but the team’s MVP (alongside players like Petr Mrazek.)
After an impressive campaign with the University of Michigan, where the centerman earned the Big Ten’s Rookie of the Year award, Larkin has transformed into Detroit’s most exciting athlete. For real, Larkin has the city doing front-flips right now. It’s incredible. I live right outside of Larkin’s hometown in Waterford, Michigan. I’ve seen signs outside of pubs/bars that have his name on it off of M-59. It’s incredible. I’ve never seen such pride in a professional athlete before. There’s no doubt about it – We have something special in this guy, and we need to all recognize that. Not only has he been the best rookie in the NHL, but he’s made an argument that he can hang with some of the best players in the NHL.
