The Detroit Red Wings again leaned heavily on a lineup loaded with NHL regulars as they played their second-to-last home game of the exhibition season.

Thursday’s performance was mediocre, much like Monday’s, even as the opponent, the Toronto Maple Leafs, didn’t bring any of their top stars to Little Caesars Arena. Nicholas Robertson secured the Leafs a victory when he scored his second goal of the night with 5:26 to play, leaving the Wings to rue the short end of a 2-0 final.

A week out from the season opener, the Wings still look like a work in progress, bothered by broken plays, missed passes and losing puck battles in tight quarters. Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz had his moments, especially against Vladimir Tarasenko, who he denied twice.

The Wings pulled Cam Talbot with four-plus minutes to play, but their extra-attacker attempt ended when Dylan Larkin was called for an illegal check to the head of Marshall Rifai with 3:18 to play.

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The Wings (3-2-1) host the Ottawa Senators Friday, and finish the preseason Saturday at Toronto.

Kasper earns starry night

Marco Kasper, the Wings’ first-round pick from 2022, earned a look between Patrick Kane and Tarasenko, similar to Nate Danielson’s opportunity centering the two star wingers earlier in the week. “I just think it’s a really good opportunity to see Marco with two talented veteran players,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “But we don’t want his game to change – we want a 200 foot game and compete. We want him to win battles. He’s been very noticeable in camp. He’s earned this opportunity.”

Special teams on display again

Having gone 1-for-6 on power plays in their previous game, the units got a bit of a makeover, with Moritz Seider moving up to play on the first unit with Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Kane, while Jeff Petry ran the second unit, with Michael Rasmussen, Jonatan Berggren, Joe Veleno and Tarasenko. J.T. Compher wasn’t in the lineup or he’d have been on the second unit, but ultimately, the Wings still need to sync up on their units. A power play in the first period didn’t have an impressive showing by either unit. The Wings were also shorthanded twice in the first period, and gave up a goal when Robertson was open and able to rip a shot that sank in behind Talbot, at 17:54. The Wings had a second power play in the second period, and two in the first 10 minutes of the third period.

Challenging middle

Talbot came through with a dozen saves in the second period as the Leafs outhustled the Wings for long stretches, and earned two penalties in the process. Seider and Simon Edvinsson, who were partnered for the night, each took a trip to the penalty box; in Edvinsson’s case, his second of the game. By midway through the period, the Wings only had three shots on net. It wasn’t until a late power play that the Wings played with some jam, with Seider and DeBrincat each forcing a save from Stolarz.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” will be available October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.