Trending: Red Wings down Leafs in final preseason tune-up

DETROIT -- With jobs still on the line, several players on the bubble played well in Detroit's 5-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Vili Saarijarvi (power play), Dominic Turgeon (shorthanded), Matt Puempel, Martin Frk (power play) and Libor Sulak (power play) were the Wings' goal scorers, with Givani Smith dishing out two assists to pace Detroit's offensive attack.

Carl Grundstrom scored Toronto's lone goal for a Leafs lineup which was a far cry from the one they dressed in Friday's 6-2 victory over the Wings in Toronto.
With the win, Detroit finishes the preseason 7-1.
The Wings will next hit the ice for the regular season opener on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets with face-off set for 7:30 p.m.
1. Libor Sulak/Filip Hronek: Two of the four young defensemen vying for a spot on the Wings are Czech Republic countrymen who suited up for their country in last May's world championships in Denmark. Sulak played in his seventh preseason game Saturday while Hronek played in his sixth. Hronek assisted on Martin Frk's power-play goal at 12:42 of the second period, giving Frk the puck in a spot where he likes it, just above the left circle. Hronek played 21:09, had one shot, two hits, one giveaway, one blocked shot and was plus-1. Hronek finished the preseason with two assists. Sulak, who dazzled with his speed during the preseason, finally recorded a goal when he jumped out of the penalty box and beat Toronto goaltender Curtis McElhinney with a shot in the top left corner. Sulak played 18:54, had one shot, was minus-1 and took three minor penalties (roughing, interference, holding). Sulak finished the preseason with one goal and two assists.

Quotable: "(Sulak's) a talent. He's an athlete who has to continue to adjust on how to, I would say play efficient hockey, where he's on the right side of the puck, not giving up a chance and getting a chance. And also the smaller sheet, so there would be some potential benefit in that, but again, we haven't made our final decision on that so we'll wait. -- Wings coach Jeff Blashill
Quotable II: "I think (Hronek's) a good power-play player. I watched Fil lots on the power play last year in Grand Rapids. I got all that film and we were able to watch him lots. I would say he's a real efficient power play player, similar to Will Butcher, who I had at the World Championships. They're not big-time deceptive like a Torey Krug, they're more make good decisions at good moments in the zone and they do a good job carrying the puck in the zone and they kind of facilitate the power play but they're not afraid to shoot it. I think Fil's a good power-play player. Whether he's better than some of the other guys we have will be our decision to make as we go forward." -- Blashill
Quotable III: "I actually know (Sulak) since I was like, 13 probably. I knew him on the ice. He was OK but he was not that good, how he is right now. He can wheel. I like him as a guy, he's a great guy and he works really hard. I think he got a big chance to make this team for sure because he's a good D and he knows what to do. He's got some experience on the national team as well so he knows how to play against the best." -- Frk
2. Joe Hicketts: There is nobody that does not enjoy Hicketts and his infectious, outgoing personality. Hicketts was the third of the four young defensemen fighting for a spot and like Sulak, he played in his seventh preseason game. Hicketts picked up the second assist on Matt Puempel's goal at 8:55 of the second period. Hicketts led the Wings in ice time with 21:34, had four hits, two blocked shots and was a team-best plus-2. He finished the preseason with two assists. Of the four young defensemen, which includes Dennis Cholowski, Hicketts is the only one with NHL experience. The 22-year-old had three assists in five games last season.
Quotable: "I played a lot of penalty kill over these seven games, blocked a lot of shots, made a lot of hits. At the end of the day, I feel like I've made the best impression I can. Now, whatever happens, I'm going to have to deal with it. But it's nice knowing you did everything in your power. I think I've done everything in my power and deserve to be here." -- Hicketts
3. Filip Zadina: There were high expectations from Detroit's fan base after the Red Wings selected the Czech sniper with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Since being drafted, Zadina has shown signs of being a complete hockey player with a deadly shot. He has also struggled in adjusting to the lack of time and space a player has at the NHL level. In seven preseason games, the 18-year-old notched two goals and one assist, was minus-2 and had one game-winning goal in Boston against the Bruins. With a logjam at forward and Michael Rasmussen a clear choice to make Detroit's roster, the Red Wings must decide if it's in Zadina's best interest to start the season in Grand Rapids to get a feel for the pro game or give the raw and gifted player a baptism under fire at the NHL level. A decision will be rendered within the next few days.
Quotable: "Someone told me long ago find a firestarter for a player and then work on that and don't give him lots of other stuff. We try to find one singular thing that's really going to fire start his whole game. He does lots of other things really well. He's not perfect but he thinks. He's got a very mature game for a young player. He plays on the right side of the puck, he blocks shots, he can adapt defensively. He understands all that stuff. I would just say on the ice continue to understand when he's got time and when he doesn't have time and what he can do to create a little bit more time. That's just an adjustment. There's no way to make that adjustment in junior until you get to this level and find out you have to. He got better and better as camp went along. Off the ice, just continuing to push his body. The quicker he gets and the faster he gets, if he can get to the next level of speed that'll help him a lot. He's quick, but I think if he can get to the next level, once he gets those first three strides going, it'll help him." -- Blashill

4. Martin Frk: Like the four young defensemen, Frk was going to be in a battle to earn a spot on the Wings because of young players like Zadina, Michael Rasmussen and Evgeny Svechnikov ascending. Sidelined early in training camp with a sore oblique muscle, Frk only got to play in three preseason games. He did save his best for the last game as he found the net from the top of the left circle on the power play midway through the second period. Hronek and Jussi Jokinen assisted on the goal. Frk played 14:36, tied for the team lead in shots with four, had two hits and a takeaway. However, Frk has the NHL experience from last season to draw upon. He had 11 goals and 14 assists in 68 games.

Quotable: "It was a slow start. I feel good in Boston, last game in Toronto I didn't play as well. Today I feel much better so that was good. The power-play goal helps me a lot, helps the confidence. So I'm definitely happy. They know how I play last season, they definitely know I can be better. I maybe tried to put a little bit (of) pressure on myself because I knew I have to do very well. That maybe set me back instead of being a little bit loose there on the ice. But it's their decision and we will see." -- Frk
Quotable II: "Marty had 10-12 goals last year. He's scored in the NHL. We know what he can bring at times on the power play. I've known Marty for a long time. Marty's been around, he's a little bit older. For him to go to the American League, there's not lots of growth, where some of the other guys, if they're not going to play in major roles, there are opportunities for growth down there." -- Blashill