From the press box to the top line.
Speedy Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou will skate on the No. 1 unit with Frans Nielsen and Henrik Zetterberg on Saturday versus the Florida Panthers after he was scratched for the club's loss on opening night to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Without totally changing things, we want to keep tinkering and trying to just find the best combinations," head coach Jeff Blashill told Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. "We think we've got good depth up front. Let's tinker as we need to tinker to get the most out of every line."
Athanasiou provided an unexpected scoring punch in his minutes last season, scoring nine goals and 14 points in 37 games. He beat out Anthony Mantha for a spot on the roster.
Steve Ott was chosen in favor of Athanasiou versus the Bolts, a decision that drew the ire of many fans. It's expected that the fourth-liner will sit versus the Panthers.
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