Oettinger has not played since exiting a contest against the Ottawa Senators on December 15th in the first period with an upper-body injury. Scott Wedgewood has taken the reigns in the Stars' crease during Oettinger's eight-game absence, helping the team go 5-2-1 in that stretch. With Oettinger's status being upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day, his return is on the horizon, and he should return to seeing the bulk of action between the pipes for the Stars.

Lundkvist will play for only the second time in the last eight games for the Stars as he will re-enter the lineup in favour of Joel Hanley. Lundkvist, who was acquired by the Stars last offseason for a first-round pick, has failed to impress the Stars' coaching staff and establish himself as a permanent fixture in their lineup. He has seven points (0G / 7A), averaging 14:37 time-on-ice in 24 games this season.

In their first game back from the Christmas break, the Canucks will turn to Casey DeSmith and give Thatcher Demko an extended rest, as they will not play again until January 2nd. DeSmith last played on December 19th, saving 26 of 28 shots (.929 SV%) in a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators, and is amid a hot streak, allowing two goals or less, posting a .965 SV% while recording at least a point in each of his last three contests (2-0-1). The Canucks are -164 home favourites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that has lost two straight.

In their first game back from the Christmas break, the Canucks will likely turn to Casey DeSmith and give Thatcher Demko an extended rest, as they will not play again until January 2nd. DeSmith last played on December 19th, saving 26 of 28 shots (.929 SV%) in a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators, and is amid a hot streak, allowing two goals or less, posting a .965 SV% while recording at least a point in each of his last three contests (2-0-1). The Canucks are -164 home favourites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that has lost two straight.

Lind will return to the AHL after making just one pointless appearance with the Kraken.

Faksa was a healthy scratch on Monday but will return to the lineup on Thursday in favour of Ty Dellandrea. Faksa is riding a two-game point streak (0G / 2A) and will assume his regular role on the fourth line with Craig Smith and Sam Steel.

DeSmith has been nearly unbeatable in limited action this month and will start for the second time in three games when the Canucks visit the Nashville Predators. Despite only winning once in two December games (1-0-1), DeSmith has remarkably saved 56 of 57 shots faced (.982 SV%). The Canucks have won five of their last six (5-0-1) but are +111 road underdogs against a Predators club that has been rolling lately, winning seven of their last eight games (7-1-0).

Blackwell will make his season debut after missing the first two and a half months of the season recovering from a groin injury. Blackwell scored 10 points (2G / 8A) in 53 games in his first season with the Blackhawks last year. He is expected to skate on the third line with Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno.

Faksa will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Seattle Kraken, allowing Craig Smith to draw back into the lineup. Faksa has six points (2G / 4A) in 25 games this season and is only averaging 12:59 time-on-ice, his lowest total since his 2015-16 rookie season.

The Stars coaching staff indicated that the team received positive results on Oettinger's evaluation, avoiding the worst outcome, but will still be without their starting goaltender on a week-to-week basis. Oettinger struggled before his injury, posting a 1-3-0 record and an ugly .823 SV% in his last five games. The Stars recalled Matt Murray from the Texas Stars (AHL), who will predominantly serve as the backup to Scott Wedgewood while Oettinger is out of the lineup.

Oettinger played only eight minutes before being lifted due to the injury. Scott Wedgewood will tend the twine for the Stars in his absence. We can expect to receive some sort of update from the Stars' on Oettinger's status following the completion of Friday's game.

Oettinger has allowed three or more goals in his last four games (1-3-0) and will start for the third consecutive game on Friday. After a sensational start to the season, posting a .938 SV% in his first seven games (5-1-1), Oettinger has seen a rapid decline in his play, posting an ugly .884 SV% in his 13 games since (6-1-1). Despite his struggles, the Stars have remained near the top of the Central Division standings and are -197 home favourites against an Ottawa Senators team that played last night and lost 4-2 in St. Louis.

Hintz was a very late scratch from the Stars contest on Saturday due to an illness, but after being a full participant at the morning skate on Monday, will likely return to the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings. Hintz has played well this season, scoring 22 points (10G / 12A) in 24 games, but has not yet been able to build on his point-per-game pace from the 2022-23 campaign when he scored 75 points (37G / 38A) in 73 games. Assuming he returns to the lineup, he should slot back into his familiar place, centring Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson.

Lundkvist will be a healthy scratch for the fourth time in the last six games as the Stars will welcome Joel Hanley back into the lineup. Lundkvist, who was acquired by the Stars last offseason for a first-round pick, has failed to impress the Stars' coaching staff and establish himself as a permanent fixture in their lineup. He has seven points (0G / 7A), averaging 14:39 time-on-ice in 23 games this season.

Oettinger will start on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings after allowing six goals on 27 shots (.778 SV%) in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. After a tremendous start, Oettinger's season totals have fallen rapidly, posting a 2.84 GAA and .905 SV%, triggered by three consecutive losses where he has allowed four or more goals in each game, sporting an ugly .815 SV%. The Stars have been outscored 19-10 over their last four games (1-3-0) but are still sizeable -209 home favourites against a Red Wings team suffering a variety of injuries, most notably Dylan Larkin (upper-body) and J.T. Compher (soreness).