Following Friday's 4-2 loss against the Lightning, Montreal has now dropped a pair of consecutive games since clinching the Atlantic Division on Monday -- although the standings have nevertheless remained intact.
As head coach Claude Julien looks to rest some of his players prior to the postseason, Carey Price, Alexander Radulov, Max Pacioretty, and Andrei Markov did not travel with the team to Michigan.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren meanwhile will be back between the pipes for a second outing this week following Monday's win in Florida.
Without a morning skate on Saturday, Julien confirmed later in the afternoon that Tomas Plekanec will have a night off in Detroit, while recent call-up Mikhail Sergachev will be in uniform and paired on the blue line with Nikita Nesterov.
At the other end of the ice, Detroit is coming off a 2-0 loss to Ottawa on Tuesday, and Jeff Blashill's men are now 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
Eliminated from playoff contention, the Red Wings will miss the postseason for the first time since the 1989-90 season this spring -- ending the NHL's longest active streak in that category.
Saturday's game will be the fifth and deciding meeting between two teams who have split the season series so far with two wins apiece.
