Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill had some harsh words for forward Anthony Mantha, who suffered the wrath of the coach’s ire after Detroit’s 6-2 blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s a hard league if you don’t show up with shift-to-shift intensity every single night,” Blashill said after the loss.
“We’ve got some young guys that have really helped in our success, when we’ve had success, but with those types of minutes comes big-time responsibility.
“Anthony Mantha has got to be way better. Way better. It’s not okay to just be a passenger when you’re given the opportunity to be an impact player.”
Matha had three shots and a minus-one rating in the 19 minutes he skated.
“(Mantha) is not alone, but he’s a guy who I said to at the beginning of the year, ‘For us to be great, you’ve got to be great,'” Blashill said.
“He’s gone through large stretches of being great. He hasn’t been great the last two games.”
