Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill rips Anthony Mantha after loss to Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers scored six goals to crush the Detroit Red Wings.

Coaches don’t often call out players publicly, but Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill wasn’t in the mood to mince words following an ugly 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Blashill was critical of forward Anthony Mantha in particular when speaking with reporters following the game Wednesday night.

“Anthony Mantha has got to be way better,” Blashill said. “Way better. It’s not OK to just be a passenger when you are given the opportunity to be an impact player.”

Mantha went scoreless in 18:49 of ice time, registering three shots on goal and a minus-one rating.

Overall, however, Mantha is having a respectable season—at least production-wise. He leads the team with 10 goals in 22 games and his 19 points are second only to Dylan Larkin’s 20 for the team lead.

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