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Red Wings' Second Line Shines While Third Line Severely Struggles in Slow Start
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- Red Wings' Second Line Shines While Third Line Severely Struggles in Slow Start
Through six games of the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings have come away with just one win, but the start has come with some positives along with the negatives.
Detroit 's top six forwards have been the team's strength with star winger Alex DeBrincat leading the way, recording four goals and four assists for eight points. Youngsters Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard have slotted in alongside him, and the trio has made an immediate impact.
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Since starting to play together in the second game of the season, they have combined for seven goals while allowing just one against.
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The other top-six unit has been decent as well with Dylan Larkin starting to get back into the swing of things, skating with Lucas Raymond, who was recently sidelined with a new injury, and newcomer Viktor Arvidsson.
The trio has scored once while allowing three goals against. With Larkin getting more reps and Raymond returning healthy, the line should eventually bounce back.
The line struggling the most so far is the third unit with Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen posting rough numbers to start the season. The duo is tied for the worst on-ice goal differential in the league at minus-eight, a mark shared with five other players, according to MoneyPuck. Neither has scored this season, and Copp has the only assist between them through the first six games.
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It has been a strong start for players like Finnie and Brandsegg-Nygard, while others such as Rasmussen and Copp will need to contribute more if the Red Wings hope to engineer an early-season turnaround.
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