TORONTO -- Andreas Athanasiou said he bought 14 tickets for Sunday’s outdoor game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, and estimated another six friends were coming of their own accord.

The event at BMO Field should be a chance for Athanasiou to show he has learned a lesson after being benched in the third period of Thursday’s 3-2 overtime victory at Ottawa.

He allowed Mark Stone to win a puck battle near Detroit’s blue line, creating the scoring opportunity that led to a goal. This came two nights after Athanasiou got shown up by Evander Kane on the winning goal by Buffalo.

Asked Friday what feedback he was given, Athanasiou said he was “just putting it in the past and get ready for the next day, come ready to work. You just have to be ready come Sunday.

“It’s the way it goes sometimes. You can’t do much about it. No one likes to sit on the bench, but we got the two points.”

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The knock on Athanasiou at times is his competitiveness, especially in the defensive zone. Athanasiou, 22, said he “doesn’t want to say I am bad defensively. I can take care of my own end.”

Wings coach Jeff Blashill said the situation would be handled internally, adding: “I don’t think it’s necessarily one area of the game. I think there are nights when he is real engaged and he’s an outstanding player, and nights where that engagement isn’t the same, whether it’s the competitive level or the engagement or attention to detail.

“It’s just hopefully a maturation process for him that he can continue to make sure that every night that competitive level is at the level it needs to be to be successful in this league.”

Blashill recalled a conversation he had with Wings legend Ted Lindsay before the season began, relaying how Lindsay said to make sure to tell players “if they go into the corner with another player and they don’t come out with the puck,” they’re not a very good hockey player.

“That’s what it comes down to – competitiveness, desire to win, matters the most,” Blashill said. “It trumps talent, it trumps everything else. Not just him, all our players, we’ve got to make sure our competitive level is at an extraordinary high level.”

Odds are Athanasiou will remain in the lineup. Even discounting Athanasiou being from nearby London, Ont., as a factor in why it’d look bad to scratch him, he’s a speedy forward who can create a chance out of nowhere. And if messages are being sent, there are players ahead of Athanasiou who could use a dose of accountability.

It may come down to personnel availability. Riley Sheahan missed Thursday’s game because of an upper-body injury, but skated Friday. Blashill did not have an update on Sheahan’s availability. If Sheahan can’t play, Athanasiou definitely is in. If Sheahan can, it’s still likely Athanasiou plays and Tomas Jurco gets yanked.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

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Detroit Red Wings are hurting, and reinforcements aren't coming soon