from Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News,

“Why’s the scrum so big tonight?” Mantha asked with a smile, as reporters and cameras surrounded him.

You gotta admit, it’d be fun to see the scrums grow again, although no one is deluded on the first weekend in October. The Wings have missed the playoffs three straight years and are predicted to finish near the bottom again this season. Steve Yzerman’s arrival as GM stirred the masses, for sure, but his work will be done in the shadows, away from the lights, and it figures to be a long, tedious task.

In the meantime, there’s no rule in the rebuild handbook that says young players can’t accelerate timetables. Long-term patience is the plan but short-term impatience is natural. Wings players say they’re sick of being dissed, tired of hopes being iced before the first freeze. They say it to a fandom that would love to buy it, and apparently they’re not kidding.

“I surprised myself on this one,” Mantha said of the four-goal outburst. “We’ve said it over and over, we’ll surprise a lot of teams. My confidence has been there since last year, playing with Bert and Larks, and I can’t praise them enough. I think I just have a better mentality of putting pucks on net.”

more

Below, watch extended game highlights of the win over Dallas.

added 9:25am, Below, watch Blashill addressing the team after the win.