Filip Zadina caught the puck on his stick, settled it, and fired a shot that sank into Winnipeg’s net.
The relief on his face matched that of his Detroit Red Wings teammates at the conclusion of Thursday’s game at Little Caesars Arena: At last, a reason to celebrate.
The 5-2 victory against the Jets won’t boost the Wings from last place in the NHL but it does halt what had grown to a 12-game losing streak, and, importantly for the rebuild, a top draft pick had a big impact.
Zadina, the sixth pick in the 2018 draft, is doing a good job convincing the Wings (8-22-3) he belongs in their lineup, instead of the Grand Rapids Griffins'.