Cam Talbot will be in net for the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday as they hope to shake off their rocky start to the season with a win against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Talbot’s mission is to help the Red Wings display a more aggressive defensive presence than was displayed Thursday in their 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Coach Derek Lalonde retired Thursday’s starter, Ville Husso, early in the second period after the Penguins built a 4-1 lead. Shaky. Rusty. Inconsistent. Choose your favorite adjective to describe Husso, who hasn’t played a full 60-minute game in almost nine months.

Husso won the Red Wings’ preseason goaltending competition and then allowed four goals on just 14 shots before being replaced by Cam Talbot, who played 54 times for the Los Angeles Kings last season. Talbot stopped 12 of 14 shots in his relief attempt.

Talbot’s .911 save percentage last season had to be attractive for a Red Wings team that finished at .902. GM Steve Yzerman gave Talbot a two-year contract worth an average of $2.5 million per season. Detroit’s other goaltenders, Husso and Alex Lyon, are in the final year of their contracts.

Detroit’s nightmarish start against the Penguins wasn’t all thanks to Husso. Although the Red Wings emphasized a tighter defensive game throughout the preseason, they were able to maintain a solid defense for three full periods.

“It’s just one of those nights where it wasn’t possible to keep the momentum going,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “I had signs of it, had a few flare-ups of it, but just couldn’t take it. “

The Red Wings start the season with a challenging schedule. After the game against Nashville, they play a home series with the New York Rangers, another game against the Predators and then games against the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils.