from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

This hasn’t been the season Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha envisioned.

You can bet Mantha was looking forward to a 30-goal season, reaching that milestone for the first time, and launching himself toward a new level in the NHL.

But he had a horrible start to this season, then injured his hand in a fight Dec. 2 – which kept Mantha out of 15 games just as he was turning his season around – severely denting any hopes for a breakthrough season.

On Saturday night, Mantha was able to put a positive spin on these dwindling days of the Wings’ season, scoring the tying and winning goals in a 3-2 overtime win over Vegas.

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.”

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