from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

This week will be revealing for the Detroit Red Wings.

They’ve achieved a winning record on the strength of beating teams that don’t project to make the playoffs, but now come a trio of elites, one after the one: The Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, Florida Panthers on Thursday, and Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Recent tests — at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights — ended with losses. To their credit the Wings stayed with their structure and competed both nights, but the bottom line is they have measured up short against the teams they want to be among....

onday was a day off, common practice after playing back-to-back. The trip at least began on a winning note, as the Wings used their power play and Ville Husso’s goaltending to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets, at team hovering in the lower third of the standings. The Wings are 12-7-5 with a .604 winning percentage, clinging to fourth place in the Atlantic Division just one point ahead of the Panthers.

The Wings are 3-4-1 against teams that made the playoffs last season, earning victories against the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators, and losing to the Rangers, Leafs, Los Angeles Kings (regulation and overtime) and Boston Bruins.

more ($)