from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

The growth of their young players give the Detroit Red Wings hope for the 2020 playoffs.

That’s the longer-term outlook. The shorter term is that Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning offers a chance to play competitively against the best team in the NHL, and then the remaining 11 games in the season are equally a chance to prove something. The Wings were mathematically eliminated from the 2019 playoffs Tuesday, and while that had been coming for weeks — months, really — the team needs to adhere to working hard and showing effort.

“It just goes to show you where this organization is headed,” veteran defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “We need to find a way to make sure it is heading in the right direction. If everything is spiraling the wrong way, at the end of the day you’re kind of OK with things going on. That’s not acceptable for this organization.

“We have to find a way to be better on a daily basis.”

continued

Below, watch Bernier, Abdelkader, Kronwall and Blashill after the game.

Plus the game highlights.