Sometimes you have to play for the kids.
A lot of that seems to be happening this season for the Detroit Red Wings. It happens at the front with Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper, but it also happens at the back with Simon Edvinsson.
Last night Edvinsson played the hero. The 21-year-old defender scored the winning goal 1:30 into extra time.
In 22:54 on the ice, he scored one goal on four shots. Additionally, he added three blocks and was named the game’s first star.
Edvinsson has been fantastic this season. Thanks to last night’s goal, he now has six points from fifteen games. He is averaging 21:02 per game in his career, which ranks second behind defensive stalwart Moritz Seider.
Last year Edvinsson played only 16 games. Despite playing more games, he has already surpassed last year’s total time on ice. The young Swede played 315:34 compared to last year’s 292:05.
In addition to the offense, he has also made a huge contribution on the defensive side of the puck. Edvinsson is averaging 2:14 on the penalty kill per game. The only defender who plays more is Seider.
Seider and Edvinsson have spent most of their time together. The 21-year-old’s most common defensive partners are Seider (68.8%), Justin Holl (13.8%) and Jeff Petry (4.4%).
He and Seider will be heavily relied upon to take on elite competition. Edvinsson plays 52.4 percent of his equal ice time against other teams’ top players.
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