Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Dylan Larkin is having his best year ever.

The teenage rookie led the Detroit Red Wings in goals with 23 in 80 games, and now he’ll get his first taste of what it’s like to be in the playoffs via a first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. As he stood in the visitors’ locker room at Madison Square Garden immediately after the Wings found out they’d clinched Saturday, Larkin spoke with appreciation of his achievement.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “I would have liked a better ending to my season, but it’s a great honor. I’ve played with great players all year. I was put in a great situation to achieve that.”

The Wings put Larkin in a situation to succeed because he’d shown them ever since they drafted him 15th overall in 2014 that he was capable of succeeding. Just consider the past 12 months: Larkin turned pro after a standout freshman season at U-M, played for the U.S. at the World Championships, made the Wings’ roster out of camp, scored a goal and assisted on another in his NHL debut, and was good at both ends of the ice even as he adjusted to the marathon that is an NHL season.

St. James: Wings relieved to extend streak, confident facing Lightning

That, Larkin said, has reinforced, “how much I love playing hockey. I’ve always loved it, but ... it’s been the best year ever and so much fun.

“It feels really rewarding to be in the postseason and then on top of that, the streak. It’s a great accomplishment. I’m excitedly playing with some intensity.”

Larkin is a big reason why the Wings made the playoffs for a 25th consecutive season. He is doing at 19 what Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk did in their mid-20s, when they provided a push from below for then-aging stars Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan.

In contrast, the silent springs of Gustav Nyquist, 26, Tomas Tatar, 25, and Riley Sheahan, 24, are a big reason why it came down to the regular-season finale for the Wings, why they enter the playoffs having to start on the road. The Wings had Nyquist and Tatar projected to score in the 25-30 goal range. Tatar exited the regular season with 21 goals, Nyquist with 17. Nyquist, who received nearly a $4-million raise in a new contract last summer, had three goals the last 30 games. Tatar, who has one year left on a contract with a $2.75-million cap hit, had six goals the last 30 games.

Sheahan finished with 14 goals thanks to a spurt late in the season.

If the Wings are to succeed against the Lightning, to take advantage of a team missing superstar forward Steven Stamkos and defenseman Anton Stralman, they will need everyone contributing. Nyquist, especially, will be under scrutiny, because his playoff production history is so meager. He had one goal and one assist in last year’s seven-game series against Tampa Bay, and no points the previous year in a five-game series against Boston. Tatar at least had three goals and four points in the 2015 series.

NHL playoffs: Wings' Game 1 Wednesday, Game 3 Sunday at the Joe

Larkin has been the Wings’ best story this season, because he combines skill and maturity way beyond his years. He’s their biggest rink rat since Chris Chelios, practically having to be shoved off the ice after practices. Larkin has provided a pair of fast legs next to Zetterberg for most of the season, in turn benefiting from Zetterberg’s experience.

A player’s first taste of the playoffs can leave some looking like a deer caught in headlights. The intensity is so much greater, every game so much more meaningful. Larkin, so far, has thrived every time he has experienced something bigger than before, such as leaping from college hockey to pros, such as being a teenager playing among men at the Worlds. Odds are, he’ll be a boost for the Wings again in the playoffs. Those a few years ahead of him would do well to strike, too.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Download our Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!

Teen dreams

Dylan Larkin, 19, will attempt to become just the sixth teenage Red Wing to score a playoff goal. The five who’ve done it, and their playoff goals as a teen:

1945: Ted Lindsay

2

1948: Gordie Howe

1

1961: Bruce MacGregor

1

1984-85: Steve Yzerman

5

1991: Keith Primeau

1

Breaking the ice

A look at the NHL playoff matchups (with seeds within division):

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

1. Panthers (47-26-9) vs. 4. Islanders* (45-27-10)

2. Lightning (46-31-5) vs. 3. Red Wings (41-30-11)

Metropolitan Division

1. Capitals (56-17-8) vs. 4. Flyers* (41-27-14)

2. Penguins ( 48-26-8) vs. 3. Rangers (46-27-9)

Western Conference

Central Divsion

1. Stars (50-23-9) vs. 4. Wild* (38-33-11)

2. Blues (49-24-9) vs. 3. Blackhawks (47-26-9)

Pacific Division

1. Ducks (46-25-11) vs. 4. Predators*

2. Kings (48-28-6) vs. 3. Sharks (46-30-6)

*WILD CARD