Red Wings host Islanders in Saturday afternoon game at Joe Louis Arena

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will look to bounce back from Thursday night's 5-1 loss in Tampa when they host the New York Islanders Saturday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena.

The Tampa Bay Lightning ended Detroit's six-game winning streak with an authoritative home victory. The Red Wings are fighting for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference, and they will face another tough test this weekend with the Islanders.

TV: 2 p.m. on FSDT, MSG+

About the Islanders (32-15-1):

The Islanders are sitting in 1st place in the Metropolitan Division thanks to some strong offensive efforts. However, they were derailed Thursday night when the Boston Bruins dished them a 5-2 loss.

Captain John Tavares scored a goal and an assist in the loss, and his team outshot the Bruins, 45-33 (14-6 in the 3rd period). That wasn't enough. The Islanders got the best from Boston goalie Tuukka Rask and the resurgent Bruins cruised to their 5th win in their past seven games.

Going 0/2 on the power play proved costly for coach Jack Capuano's squad.

Despite the loss and four goals against (the 5th was with the net empty), Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves. He's expected to get the start again in Detroit.

About the Red Wings (28-12-9):

The six-game winning streak came to an end in bleak fashion Thursday night. The Lightning scored early and were up 4-1 by the middle of the second period.

Tampa grabbed 1st place in the Atlantic Division back from the Red Wings, who now sit in 3rd place with 28 wins and 65 points. The Montreal Canadiens also have 65 points and two games in hand.

Rookie goalie Petr Mrazek (10-4-1) has seen better nights. He allowed 5 goals on 15 shots before being relieved by Tom McCollum in the 3rd period. McCollum made 17 saves to hold Tampa off the score sheet in the final period.

It's unclear who gets the start Saturday. Jimmy Howard (groin) and Jonas Gustavsson (shoulder) both remain out with injuries.

Tomas Tatar leads the Red Wings with 21 goals but he hasn't found the back of the net in his past three games.

Meanwhile, Detroit has reassigned rookie defenseman Xavier Ouellet to the AHL while recalling defenseman Alexey Marchenko. Ouellet has appeared in 21 games with Detroit this season, scoring 2 goals, 1 assist and posting a +4 rating.

Marchenko appeared in one game with the Red Wings last season -- the first and only of his young NHL career. He has 2 goals, 15 assists and a +15 rating in 42 games this season with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.

After losing his job to the aforementioned d-men, defenseman Brian Lashoff has been placed on waivers.

NOTES:

Saturday will be the second of three meetings this season between the Red Wings and Islanders. The Islanders won the first meeting, 2-1, on Dec. 19 in Detroit. The next meeting is March 29 in New York.

The Red Wings haven't beaten the Islanders at Joe Louis Arena since 2003.