Cory Emmerton has a goal and an assist in the Wings' first two games of the season. (Getty Images)

It’s still early in the season, but rookie Cory Emmerton has been a perfect fit on the Red Wings’ fourth line for one simple reason – he plays center, and so far, he’s done very well.

“We need a center, so he's got an advantage right there if he can continue to play well,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “He's skated well, he's looked after the puck well. He's been pretty good in the (face-off) circle, he's been good on the penalty kill.”

Babcock said that he’s anxious to see how Emmerton fares tonight against two very solid face-off centermen in Vancouver’s Manny Malhotra and Maxim Lapierre.

“He's going to get a test for a young guy in the faceoff circle,” Babcock said. “And he's going to get a test on the penalty kill against a real good power play. It's all part of the growing process.”

Through two games, Emmerton has won four face-offs for a 36.4 winning percentage. He also has a goal and an assist with a plus-2 rating.

“I think he's done a real good job,” Babcock said.