Red Wings' Blashill calls out Mantha: 'Not OK to just be a passenger'

There were some harsh words for Anthony Mantha on Wednesday night.

The Red Wings forward received the brunt of his coach's criticism following Detroit's 6-2 blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Mantha skated for just under 19 minutes, but was held off the scoresheet as he wrapped up the night with three shots and a minus-one rating.

That performance, or lack thereof, didn't sit well with Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill.

"It's a hard league if you don't show up with shift-to-shift intensity every single night," Blashill told reporters following the loss. "We've got some young guys that have really helped in our success, when we've had success, but with those types of minutes comes big-time responsibility.

"Anthony Mantha has got to be way better. Way better. It's not okay to just be a passenger when you're given the opportunity to be an impact player."

Mantha has been one of the Red Wings' top performers this season, as he leads the team with 10 goals and sits one point behind Dylan Larkin for top spot in club scoring. However, he failed to produce against Edmonton.

"(Mantha) is not alone, but he's a guy who I said to at the beginning of the year, 'For us to be great, you've got to be great,'" Blashill added. "He's gone through large stretches of being great. He hasn't been great the last two games."

The 23-year-old will soon have the opportunity to redeem himself, as the Red Wings face off against the New York Rangers on Friday.

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