ARIZONA COYOTES VS DETROIT RED WINGS 12/22/2019 LIVE 7:00 PM ET

The Arizona Coyotes visit Detroit on Sunday without their No. 1 goaltender. They'll have to play without him for several more games.

Darcy Kuemper suffered a lower-body injury during the team's 8-5 loss to Minnesota on Thursday. The recovery period for the injury, which occurred during the third period, is described as week-to-week.

"That's a tough one to watch," coach Rick Tocchet said.

Many coaches would have pulled their goalie by that point. Kuemper allowed seven goals before he was hurt. But Kuemper had a 1.97 goals allowed average and a .935 save percentage on the season prior to the high-scoring affair with the Wild.

"Even (with the score) at 6-5, 'Kuemps' deserves to stay in there," Tocchet told the Arizona Republic. "He's been a rock for us all year. We're trying to get him a win. Whether we win 9-8, sometimes it's nice to win for the goalie. I'm not going to pull him. I mean, he was having a tough night, but he was still battling."

The Coyotes entered Sunday tied for the top spot in the Pacific Division. They had not given up more than five goals in any game prior to Thursday's debacle.

"This was a game that was played in August," Tocchet said. "A preseason game, for us. We were too loose. We scored some goals, but we were really loose (Thursday). I don't know if it's home-itis or whatever that disease is, but some guys were really struggling to play the right way."

Oddly, the Coyotes have been better on the road this season, posting a 12-4-3 record compared to a 8-9-1 home record.

With Kuemper sidelined, Antti Raanta (2.72 GAA, .919 save percentage) temporarily becomes the top goalie. He'll be backed up by Adin Hill, who was recalled on Friday from the Tucson Roadrunners, Arizona's American Hockey League affiliate.

Hill had a 7-5-0 record with a 2.76 GAA with the Coyotes last season. He's 9-3 with a 2.77 GAA with one shutout in 12 games with the Roadrunners this season.

This will be the first of two meetings between the Coyotes and Red Wings. The teams will play again in Arizona on March 20.

The Red Wings have lost three straight, including a 4-1 decision at Toronto on Saturday night. Tyler Bertuzzi's power-play goal with 1:44 left kept them from getting shut out.

Coach Jeff Blashill's job security is unknown, though the season is already lost. Detroit is 9-25-3, by far the worst record in the league.

"I would tell you I think the four years of experience prior to this has really, really trained me well to handle a season like this," Blashill told the team's website. "I would not want to go through this my first season in the league. To be honest with you, my confidence hasn't faltered one bit, because I focused on drawing from previous experiences and also just focusing on doing everything to the best that I can do."

Like the Coyotes, the Wings have a goaltender hurt, as Jonathan Bernier sustained a lower-body injury Saturday and was ruled out for Sunday. On the bright side, longtime goalie Jimmy Howard will return and start for the first time since he sustained a groin injury on Nov. 27 against Toronto.

Howard, who represented the team in the All-Star Game last year, was having a rough season prior to his trip to the IR. He's 2-11-1 this season with a goals-against average of 3.94.

The Wings also lost one of their top offensive players on Saturday. Anthony Mantha was slammed to the ice late in the game and landed hard on his shoulder and head. He is not expected to play and will undergo further testing.