Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin calls out his teammates after a tough loss.

The Detroit Red Wings season is for all intents and purposes already over with the team eliminated from playoff contention after an ugly second half to the season. In those circumstances you could understand why some might feel that they have relatively little to play for, especially when they risk potential injury by playing hard, but for some their pride and competitive will to win simply won't allow them to coast to the end of the calendar.

One such player appears to be Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin. On Sunday Larkin and the Red Wings suffered yet another loss, this time at the hands of the Florida Panthers, and following the game Larkin addressed concerns about the level of effort coming from him and his teammates. Larkin was asked about sending a positive message to close out the season and whether or not there was enough of a will in the Red Wings locker room to do so before the Red Wings run out of games, and he admitted that he wasn't sure.

"At times yes, at other times no," admitted Larkin. "Like you said we are running out of runway and we have to end the season here on a positive note and we have tough competition but we have 2 weeks left to figure things out and end on a positive note to go into the summer."

Larkin also talked about how his teammates needed to personally motivate themselves even in difficult situations such as these ones, pointing to the fact that this is the National Hockey League after all.

"I've said it a lot, someone can't push you out the door like it's minor hockey and give you candy after the game," said a stern faced Larkin. "You have to take pride in this and you have to take pride in wearing the Wing Wheel and going out there and fighting for a job next year. There's plenty of guys in our locker room that have to do that, I would say everyone, and you have to find that yourself. It doesn't just come, you have to find it."