Detroit Red Wings rookie Marco Kasper has certainly impressed in his first NHL season. The former eighth-overall pick made his NHL debut in 2023, but an injury limited him to one game. He started the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL but soon established himself in Detroit. Following a Red Wings coaching change, the Austrian forward has certainly made his presence felt.
The Tampa Bay Lightning know all too well what the young center can do. Kasper scored two goals on Friday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. His first goal tied the game, while his second marker won it. The Red Wings skated away with a 4-3 overtime win on Friday night.
This is a crucial win for Detroit. This victory helped keep them in the playoff hunt for the time being. They are six points back of the Montreal Canadiens — who lost on Friday. There is work to be done, but this is a big win for the team. Kasper spoke about what the victory means on Friday night.
“We’ve had a couple of tough losses, which hurt a lot,” Kasper said, via NHL.com’s Corey Long. “We talked about being a team and going out there playing our best on every shift. Every minute we’ve got to try to give it our all and we did a good job of that today.”
The Red Wings have missed the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons. This is already a franchise-record playoff drought for the Winged Wheel. Detroit has come close to the postseason in each of the last two seasons. However, they have collapsed in March each year, preventing them from making it in.
Again, Detroit has a lot of work to do if they want to overtake the Canadiens. But seeing a top prospect such as Kasper make an impact on the game like he did Friday is certainly encouraging. When the Red Wings do return to the postseason, Kasper is certainly likely to be a driving force behind their success.
