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While the Detroit Red Wings are watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs at home for the 10th straight season, a pair of forwards who wore the Winged Wheel earlier in their careers are helping their current team stay alive in postseason competition.
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Former Red Wings forwards Anthony Mantha and Elmer Soderblom, now with the Pittsburgh Penguins, factored into the scoring in Monday evening’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Penguins squeaked out a 3-2 victory at PPG Paints Arena, cutting what was once a three games to none series lead for the Flyers down to three to two.
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Soderblom, who was traded to the Penguins by the Red Wings in March, opened the scoring with his first career goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, whistling a snap shot past the blocker of Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar early in the first period.
Picking up the assist on Soderblom’s goal was none other than Anthony Mantha, who enjoyed a career season in Pittsburgh. He set new personal highs in both goals (33) and assists (31), and is in line for a raise on the $2.5 million he earned for this year.
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Soderblom, who was the tallest player in Red Wings history at towering at an imposing 6’9″, was never able to realize his full potential in Detroit, and after registering just two goals and an assist in 39 games played this season, was traded to Pittsburgh on March 6 for a 2026 third-round draft pick.
Mantha, who spent the first several years of his NHL career with Detroit but often had time giving a full effort on the ice, was traded to the Washington Capitals in April 2021 for Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick.
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