Apologies to Andrew Mangiapane
He didn't register a point until NHL game #19
He didn't score his first goal until NHL game #27
After that kind of start, I definitely didn't think he was going to carve out much of a full-time role on this team. While he wasn't playing horribly, the results just weren't happening.
Then, on February 9th against the Canucks he scored his 1st goal and the turn-around was initiated. From that game forward, for 20 games its been a different story. He's scored 6 goals (8 points) for a 25 goal full season pace, managed a +7 rating, all while playing an average of 11 minutes a game primarily on the 3rd and 4th line with little to no PP time.
I'm not sure we're looking at an NHL 25 goal scorer, but we're definitely looking at a valuable member of our current bottom 6 who I now believe is here to stay.
Apologies to Andrew. The bread is rising.
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