Tied for second overall among all rookies in NHL scoring, Detroit Red Wings forward Emmitt Finnie remains a feel-good story in the early goings of their centennial campaign.
While the Detroit Red Wings saw their five-game winning streak come to an end in disappointing fashion against the Buffalo Sabres, one of the positives they'll take with them into Thursday evening's tilt against the New York Islanders is the play of rookie Emmitt Finnie.
Finnie, who made the final cut for the Red Wings after an impressive Training Camp and pre-season, has four points in his last two games, including a goal in the setback on Wednesday evening in Buffalo.
Finnie's third tally of his NHL career came on the heels of his two goal and one assist performance against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday afternoon, giving him a total of six points in the opening seven contests of the campain.
Following Wednesday's game, Finnie was one of a handful of players interviewed in the dressing room and spoke with the poise of a seasoned veteran rather than a 20-year-old rookie.
"I didn't think it was our best night," Finnie said of Detroit's overall effort. "We started slow. We were hanging in there for a bit, but our third wasn't good enough."
"I don't know if we were prepared enough for this game, we started slowly and It thought we finished hard, but it was a little too late."
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
The Red Wings got themselves into penalty trouble early on and failed to register a single shot on goaltender Colten Ellis, making his NHL debut, until the first period was already halfway through.
After J.T. Compher broke the ice with his opening goal of the season, the Sabres took a 2-1 lead after tallies from Jason Zucker and Tyson Kozak, only to have Finnie respond thanks to a nifty pass from Dylan Larkin.
"Yeah, Larks made a good play and he was driving wide," Finnie said of his goal. "I just found some quiet ice and he made a good pass."
Wednesday was the kind of game that the Red Wings simply have to flush from their memories and come back with a more intensified effort from the opening puck drop against the Islanders on Thursday evening.
"We just gotta forget about this night and focus on New York there, a young and hot team," Finnie said. "We'll have to be ready for them."
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.