In Red Wings Land

Big game leaves Red Wings’ Anthony Mantha hungry for more | Detroit News

That gives Mantha 19 goals, with seven games remaining. While it’s very unlikely he’ll reach 30 goals, 20 is certainly attainable.

Mantha was asked if 20 goals is a satisfying plateau.

“No, it’s not,” Mantha told reporters after Saturday night’s game. “I’ve had ups and down this year, but I had to focus a little more on the downs and try to build off of that for next year – and try to be an even better player next year.”

Good for Anthony Mantha. It’s nice reading that it appears he’s never satisfied. A 20-goal season is good, but why settle for that? I look forward to the day — and it will come eventually — that Mantha scores a very, very, very big playoff goal for the Red Wings.

Around the League

Beyond Headlines: Is ‘load management’ feasible in NHL? | Sportsnet

PLAYOFF REFORMATTING

As the NHL and NHLPA continue to discuss extending the current divisional playoff format beyond this season — which is almost certain to happen, on a one-year basis — there seems to be some growing unrest among players about how well it’s working overall.

Let’s go back to the old 1-8 format where the division winners get the top seeds.