Detroit — One positive early development, as the Red Wings' regular season crawls to the quarter point of the schedule?
The play of forward Andreas Athanasiou.
An enigma in his first two seasons with the Red Wings, a young player who frustrated coaches and fans alike, is becoming a player coach Jeff Blashill can count on.
The latest bright spot concerning Athanasiou was scoring the tying goal Friday against the New York Rangers, then setting up Dylan Larkin in overtime for the exciting winner.
That gave Athanasiou five goals and three assists in 12 games — Athanasiou returned Friday after missing four games with an upper body injury — and continued a focused attention to playing since the start of training camp.