PREVIEW: Red Wings host Rangers for Hockey Fights Cancer Night, presented by Comerica, on Saturday

DETROIT – Looking to quickly put Friday’s 3-1 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs behind them, the Detroit Red Wings will host the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena for Hockey Fights Cancer Night, presented by Comerica, on Saturday.

Puck drop for the season series finale between Detroit (6-6-1; 13 points) and New York (8-3-1; 17 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).

As part of the Red Wings’ annual effort to raise awareness and fundraise for cancer research, fans who purchased a special “Love Your Melon” ticket package for Saturday’s game will receive a custom beanie. Each ticket sold through the offer supports Love Your Melon’s program to give a hat to every child battling cancer in America. For more information about Hockey Fights Cancer Month across the NHL, click here.

Captain Dylan Larkin scored on the power play against Toronto, proving to be Detroit’s lone goal on Friday. Larkin, who has recorded 11 points (nine goals, two assists) in 13 games this season, said low-event hockey was the best way to describe how the night at Scotiabank Arena transpired.

“For whatever reason, I think the first period was a little sleepy after the [Hockey Hall of Fame] ceremony,” Larkin said. “It just was, maybe because we played a similar style of hockey. There was a lot on the outside, a lot of skating through bodies and a lot of forechecking. I thought we forechecked just as well as they did.”

Special teams was a difference maker on Friday, as the Red Wings went 1-for-3 on the power play but 0-for-2 on the penalty kill. Head coach Derek Lalonde also pointed to a lack of execution as the area that probably cost Detroit the most against Toronto.

“We had some entries, some zone time and an opportunity to get pucks to the net,” Lalonde said. “We just didn’t execute. We flip a goal here or there, hit the crossbar early. We had the one on the goal line. I didn’t hate our overall game, but I didn’t like the way we executed especially in some certain situations.”

Goalie Ville Husso, who was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday morning, is expected to start against the Rangers after netminder Cam Talbot made 17 saves against the Maple Leafs.

Getting some time in the crease with the Griffins was beneficial for Husso, who appeared in three AHL games after being assigned to Grand Rapids on Oct. 14.

“I feel good,” Husso said after Friday’s morning skate. “It was just to go out there, work hard and just enjoy it at the same time. It’s just hockey. Of course you want to be in the NHL all the time, but those little bumps make you stronger too.”

The Rangers enter Saturday with losses in two of their last four games, and are coming off a 6-1 setback to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Artemi Panarin leads New York in all three main scoring categories (9-10—19) this season, while Alexis Lafreniere (five goals, five assists) Mika Zibanejad (two goals, eight assists) are tied for second in scoring with 10 points apiece.

On Thursday, goaltender Igor Shesterkin was pulled in the second period after giving up five goals on 12 shots before Jonathan Quick turned aside 9-of-10 shots in relief. This season, the Rangers’ goalie tandem has combined for a 2.14 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.

The Red Wings will try to avoid a season series sweep against the Rangers, who earned a 4-1 win at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 14 before taking a 5-2 victory at Little Caesars Arena three days later (Oct. 17).

“I think our even-strength game on a whole has been pretty good,” Lalonde said. “But put [Friday’s game] behind us, obviously [New York is] a tough opponent. We’ve done a good job as a group performing in back-to-backs, and we’ll have an opportunity to do it [on Saturday].”