Radek Faksa returns to the lineup against Blackhawks

Stars (26-19-2, 54 points) vs. Blackhawks (18-25-7, 43 points)

Radek Faksa is expected to return to the lineup Friday against Chicago after missing three games with a lower-body injury. That'll be part of a shuffle at center that could be worth watching.
With Faksa back in, it's expected he will center Michael Raffl and Luke Glendening (the Stars held an optional practice in the morning with no line rushes), so that means Glendening could move back to right wing and Joel Kiviranta could slide to the fourth line or be a healthy scratch. In addition, Stars coach Rick Bowness said he'll likely use Jamie Benn more at center on the second line, to help make line changes easier.
"He likes going left wing/center, back and forth, he likes that," Bowness said. "And he takes a lot of faceoffs. I think we'll do more of that, let him play center, let him play left wing."
Because he's left-handed and Tyler Seguin's right-handed, Benn will take faceoffs and then play center anyway, especially if the draw is in the defensive zone. What's more, Bowness could use Benn as a center on a different line for a specific faceoff, and then the changes will be a little harder when he wants to get Seguin into the game.
Mix into that the fact that Glendening has won 57.6 percent of his draws this season, and who lands in the dot starts to become quite a strategic discussion.
Faksa said he's recovered from being cross-checked in the hip and said he feels good.
"Every day I was getting better and better," he said. "I'm happy I'm back."

What to watch

Jake Oettinger will get the start in net after making 46 saves in a 4-1 win over Colorado Tuesday.
"It's a no-brainer," said Bowness. "And I'm not the smartest guy in the world, so that helps."
Oettinger has started five of the past six games while Braden Holtby has been dealing with injuries, and he's gone 4-1-0 in that span. The 23-year-old is 14-5-0 on the season and is taking steps forward in his career development.
Bowness said the team has a "goalie plan," but adapts depending on performance. The fact that Oettinger has earned the next start is a good thing.
"It helps the player," Bowness said. "He knows he's going to go right back in there."
Bowness said Oettinger continues to show great maturity.
"He's a pro," Bowness said. "For a young man, he's a pro. His work habits, his preparation, he wants to play, he wants the ball, and I love that about him. He's a tremendous competitor, and he's going to keep getting better."

Lineup update

Here is a possible lineup:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Benn-Seguin-Gurianov
Raffl-Faksa-Glendening
Kiviranta-Peterson-Radulov
Suter-Heiskanen
Lindell-Klingberg
Harley-Hakanpaa
Oettinger
Holtby

Numbers

70

Patrick Kane has tallied 70 points (30 goals, 40 assists) in 60 career games against the Stars. That's the second most against any opponent (Columbus is first at 73) in his career.

Minus-312

Chicago ranks 29th in SAT (shot attempt differential at even strength) at minus-312. Dallas ranks 19th at minus-113.

2.42

Chicago ranks 30th in goal scoring at 2.42 goals per game. The Blackhawks were 16th last season at 2.84.

He said it

"There's pressure every game. Every game is a playoff game for us right now. We expect all of our players to feel that pressure. Pressure is a privilege."- Bowness on the heated playoff race in the Western Conference
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.