PREVIEW: Red Wings visit Maple Leafs for 2024-25 preseason finale on Saturday

TORONTO -- The Detroit Red Wing will conclude their preseason schedule on Saturday night, taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

Puck drop between the Original Six rivals is set for 7 p.m., with streaming available on DetroitRedWings.com and the Red Wings Mobile App.

Head coach Derek Lalonde said he’s encouraged by the Red Wings’ progress in Training Camp up to this point and wants his players to finish strong.

“I really thought our four days in Traverse City were excellent,” Lalonde said. “The work ethic, the approach. We’ve worked hard. Asked them for a little more, and we got that…Our core has led in a good way, but the push from some of those young guys has elevated the camp.”

The Red Wings hit the road hoping to end their eight-game exhibition slate on a high note after coming up short against the visiting Ottawa Senators in a chippy 4-3 overtime loss on Friday. Marco Kasper and Olli Maatta each had two points against the Senators, with Kasper scoring two goals and Maatta recording a pair of assists.

“For whatever reason, Ottawa is a big rivalry,” Christian Fischer said. “Honestly, I don’t think too many guys mind it. Preseason, I think it’s good to get those emotions back. There’s going to be 82 games of that type of emotion. It’s nice to get a little feistiness in the game and show that fire.”

Fischer said he believes the value of the preseason differs for each player, but everyone benefits from experiencing game-like situations ahead of the regular season.

“The main thing is just getting going and getting up to speed,” Fischer said. “Obviously your habits and stuff get going, but just the emotion, competitiveness and energy that comes with Game 1. I still remember the feeling from our home opener last year, and how fun that was.”

And beyond preparing for the upcoming campaign, Detroit’s Training Camp has been an opportunity for players to set the compete level they want to have all season long.

“Every team wants to be competitive, and everybody is, but I think our identity as a team,” Fischer said about what he hopes the Red Wings carry from camp into this season. “We have very different types of players from every which way. When we’re all on our game, the word that comes to my mind is relentless. When we’re all nonstop and staying above guys, checking and forechecking, when every line is playing their role correctly, we’re a really good team.”

At the beginning of Training Camp, head coach Derek Lalonde expressed a desire to see good competition for spots on the club’s Opening Night roster. He said that’s been apparent over the last few weeks, which will make for difficult decisions ahead of Monday at 5 p.m. ET --- the NHL’s submission deadline for Opening Night rosters.

“We’ve been very open-minded throughout camp with a lot of moving parts,” Lalonde said. “This is a good problem. We’ve had some young players step up in camp. This is going to be an interesting 48 hours.”