PREVIEW: Motivated to defend home ice, Detroit faces Toronto on Saturday

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings will play four of their next five games at Little Caesars Arena before the NHL’s holiday break, beginning with an Original Six rivalry clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

“It’s a good stretch for us to hopefully get some momentum,” Patrick Kane said. “Use the building and the energy to our advantage and try to get something going here.”

Puck drop between the Red Wings (11-14-4; 26 points) and the Maple Leafs (18-9-2; 38 points) is set for 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). The Atlantic Division clubs will meet again in Detroit on Dec. 27 before concluding their regular-season schedules in Toronto on April 17.

In the Red Wings’ 4-1 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, Ben Chiarot lit the lamp late in the third period and goalie Cam Talbot made 32 saves in his first start for Detroit since Dec. 1 because of a lower-body injury.

Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said Talbot will be unavailable against the Maple Leafs after the veteran netminder reaggravated the lower-body injury during Friday’s practice.

“He’d be in the day-to-day range, I hope,” Lalonde said about Talbot. “A little taken aback with him leaving practice [on Friday], so I’ll know more.”

With Alex Lyon (lower body) still out, Lalonde said Ville Husso will start in net on Saturday.

“He took a full practice [on Friday], moving post to post very well,” Lalonde said about Lyon. “I think this was the plan all along, the hope for Wednesday.”

Currently tied with the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division at 38 points apiece, Toronto won its second game in a row on Thursday, a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Mitch Marner paces the Maple Leafs in assists (28) and points (38). William Nylander ranks second in scoring with 29 points (18 goals, 11 assists), while John Tavares is third with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists). And since returning to the club’s lineup on Dec. 2 after missing nine straight games with an upper-body injury, captain Auston Matthews has collected six points (three goals, three assists) in six contests.

“They have some really special players over there, four or five of them,” Kane said about the Maple Leafs. “Seems like they’re playing a more disciplined game this year too, so it’ll be a tough challenge.”