Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

MONTREAL -- Anthony Mantha estimated he had 40-50 family members and friends in the stands.

He made sure they had something to cheer.

Mantha scored in the second period Tuesday at Bell Centre, using his big body to to whack away at the puck from just outside the right goal post. For him, it was ultimately bittersweet, as the Detroit Red Wings lost, 4-3, to the Montreal Canadiens.

"It's a great feeling, but if you lose a game, it doesn't mean much," Mantha said. "The goal was just banging rebounds all around, I think we took six or seven rebounds that shift. It was a good feeling."

Mantha had a backhand attempt denied late in the third period.

The game was a hot ticket as it was Mantha's first game in his hometown area, in an arena he attended as a boy.

"I remember it as I was young, it was pretty loud in here," he said. "When you are on the opposite side of the Bell Centre, it's hard to play against the fans and play against Montreal when they are at home."

Mantha has made himself at home since joining the Wings two weeks ago. To his benefit, the Wings told him that it wasn't a short-term audition.

"It's huge for the confidence," Mantha said. "Mentally, it's a little easier to get focused knowing that if there is one bad game, you can bounce back the next game and keep proving myself."

Mantha, 21, made his NHL debut on March 15, scored his first NHL goal March 24 at Joe Louis Arena in front of family and friends, and consistently has left a favorable impression because he uses his big body, shows responsibility in both ends, and makes good plays.

"He's got a really good NHL package," Blashill said. "I think he's got a transferable skill set. If he wins puck battles and wins physical battles on a consistent basis, he'll be a real good player in the league."

Blashill was especially pleased to see Mantha make an adjustment during Monday's game based on feedback from a mistake made Saturday. That attention to detail is key for the rookie forward.

"If one day I want to be a great player in this league, I need to focus on the small aspects that maybe I'm not doing as well," Mantha said. "It's just to get better and better and keep pushing forward."

It doesn't hurt to play next to Pavel Datsyuk. "We get a lot of o-zone play when he is on the ice," Mantha said. "It's easier for me to skate around and know that he has the puck."

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

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