DETROIT _ What a start to this regular season for Anthony Mantha.
The Red Wings forward seemed primed to have a big season given how last season ended, and thus far, it's going to according to plan.
Mantha had a career night with four goals _ the last with 53.3 seconds left _ and as the Red Wings opened the Little Caesars Arena portion of their schedule Sunday with a 4-3 victory.
Mantha one-timed a pass from Filip Hronek in the slot, cleanly beating goalie Anton Khudobin for his fifth goal in the two-game season, electrifying the sold out crowd.
It was the single best Wings' performance since Johan Franzen's five-goal night against the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 2, 2011.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier preserved the win with a save on the goal line with 2.7 seconds left.
But this game was all about Mantha, who dominated offensively.
After earning a goal and two assists in Saturday's regular season opener in Nashville, Mantha continued his torrid start.
Mantha scored twice in the second period, erasing a 2-0 Dallas lead, then added an early third period goal, tapping a loose puck off Dylan Larkin's shot just 15 seconds in (his fourth goal of the two-game season).
The natural hat trick _ uninterrupted by another teammate's goal _ was the first for a Red Wing since Henrik Zetterberg in 2008.
But Dallas forward Roope Hintz scored his second goal of the night just 23 seconds after Mantha completed his hat trick, tying the game 3-3.
Mantha single-handedly got the Wings back in the game in the second period.
On the power play, Mantha took a pass across the slot from Taro Hirose and whistled a one-timer past Khudobin just 48 seconds into the second period, cutting Dallas' lead to 2-1.
The quick start was exactly what the Wings needed after a dormant first period.
Mantha then tied the game 2-2 at 9:43, taking a pass from Danny DeKeyser, driving around defenseman Esa Lindell, and slipping the puck past Khudobin for his third goal.
Mantha's electric start hasn't surprised coach Jeff Blashill.
"He's had a good preseason, a good end of year last year, (fine) world championships, he's a guy that when he's confident he plays real well," said Blashill, after the victory in Nashville. "He's confident right now, so let's keep him in that spot."
Mantha said after Saturday's victory the way he feels on the ice right now, the confidence he feels, is reminiscent of his final junior hockey season when he scored 81 goals in 81 games.
But, the fact Mantha is playing with Tyler Bertuzzi and Larkin as a line, is also fueling Mantha's play thus far this season.
"It's huge, we just right away come back to where we left off last year," Mantha said Saturday. "It's exactly what we wanted. We had a great camp and this game proves that we're meant to be a first line together.
"Hopefully, we can stick around the whole season."
The victory was an excellent follow up after the Wings defeated another playoff contending Central Division team, Nashville, in the season opener.
Blashill said before the game Dallas is one going to be one of the better teams in the NHL this season.
"They have a really good 'D' (defense), probably great D that maybe is not recognized as that only because they're young," Blashill said. "A huge goalie (Ben Bishop) that's very, very talented, then they have some real good forwards, some two-way forwards up front that are big.
"When it comes playoff time, they're a hard team, they're hard to play against because of those components. They're going to be a team that's going to contend again this year."
The Red Wings lost defenseman Trevor Daley to a lower body injury in the second period. He did not return to the game.
