Detroit @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 13, 2018 ) Arizona 1, Detroit 6

The Arizona Coyotes hardly had the look of a playoff contender after dropping their first four games coming out of the All-Star break, but they have made a dramatic turnaround to surge into the thick of things for the two wild cards in the Western Conference. Arizona seeks a season-best sixth straight victory when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

The Coyotes have won the first three contests of their seven-game homestand to improve to 14-14-3 at Gila River Arena with games on deck against two lowly teams in Detroit and Anaheim. "We know we haven't been great at home," said Brad Richardson, who scored four goals in Thursday's 5-2 victory over Vancouver. "We've talked about it, we've changed a few little things with our scheduling. It's a good time of the year to be winning at home." While Arizona has won eight of 10, the Red Wings are careening in the opposite direction with six consecutive defeats (0-4-2). Detroit capped a winless five-game homestand by getting bludgeoned by Montreal 8-1 and now must play five of its next six on the road.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Detroit-Plus, FS Arizona-Plus

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (23-32-9): Coach Jeff Blashill referred to Tuesday's debacle against Montreal as a "joke" and gave his team the following day off, but the beating was still lingering in the mind of leading scorer Dylan Larkin. "It's an 82-game season, you're not going to have it every night," Larkin said at Friday's practice. "You just have to find a way to find some energy, make it a hard game for the other team. We just got to find ways to consistently make it harder for the other team." The Red Wings made it hard on Arizona with a 6-1 romp on Nov. 13 as defenseman Mike Green had three points.

ABOUT THE COYOTES (31-28-5): Arizona's good vibes took a hit Friday when the team learned that center Derek Stepan, who is third on the team with 13 goals, will be sidelined for four to six weeks due to a lower-body injury sustained in Thursday's win. "He's been playing good hockey for us," coach Rick Tocchet said after Friday's practice. "That line's been great. It's a big blow to our team, but what I love about the team is we had a great practice today." Goaltender Darcy Kuemper gave up five goals on 17 shots in the early-season meeting versus Detroit, but he has yielded 10 tallies in winning his last six starts.

OVERTIME

1. Richardson set a career high with 16 goals with the first four-goal game for Arizona since Keith Tkachuk in March 1997.

2. Red Wings F Anthony Mantha has two goals and five assists during a four-game point streak.

3. Coyotes F Vinnie Hinostroza has a goal and six points in his last five games.

PREDICTION: Coyotes 4, Red Wings 2