Goalie carousel continues with Jake Oettinger starting against Red Wings

Stars (5-6-2, 12 points) vs. Red Wings (8-7-2, 18 points)

The Stars goalie-go-round is in full swing this week.
Braden Holtby is dealing with a minor lower-body injury and is day to day. Because of that, Anton Khudobin had to come in Saturday on short notice against the Flyers. He was great stopping 31 shots and posting a 5-2 victory.
That would normally mean Khudobin would jump in Tuesday against Detroit, but Khudobin is battling a non-COVID illness that caused him to miss practice on Monday, so he'll instead back up, and Jake Oettinger will get the start - his first of the season.
Oettinger is more than capable, as he went 11-8-7 last season as an NHL rookie with a 2.36 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. However, the Stars decided to go with two veterans in the NHL, and that meant Oettinger has played most of this season in the AHL, where he's struggled with a 4-5-1 record, a 2.62 GAA and .913 save percentage.
On the good side, he had 31 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss Friday to Colorado and played very well.
"We want to build off that," Stars head coach Rick Bowness said. "Obviously, we've only seen him in practice, but he's a true pro. He's the first guy at the rink, first guy on the ice, works his butt off, he's a great kid, a real pro. He's got a great attitude, a great work ethic, and he's a really good teammate. The guys want to get out there and play in front of him because he's going to get in there and battle."

Oettinger backed up against Philadelphia on Saturday and practiced with the team Monday, so he's had some time to get back into the groove. He earned the trust of his teammates last season, so his start Tuesday will be just another game.
"We have a lot of belief in Jake," captain Jamie Benn said. "You guys saw what he did last year, and then he took going down to the AHL like a man, worked on his game and got back here. We've got a lot of confidence in him."
Khudobin practiced in the morning but left early.
"He's feeling better," Bowness said. "He's not 100 percent, but certainly good enough to back up tonight."
Holtby will miss his second game and could start skating Wednesday or Thursday, Bowness added.

What to watch

Luke Glendening will play his first game against the Red Wings. That's a big deal because Glendening not only played 554 games with the Wings before signing as a free agent with the Stars in the summer, he grew up in Michigan and was a huge fan during their heyday with Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008.
"I grew up a fan," Glendening said. "I got to live out my dream of playing for them for eight years. I have a ton of respect for the people in the organization. It's a big game for this team. I don't want to take anything away from that. We need the two points, and that's the goal."

Pressed on the subject, Glendening admitted it'll be strange to play against friends and former teammates.
"It's going to feel different," he said. "I'd love to say you approach it like any other game, but obviously you want to play well against your old team."
Glendening has already been a help to the coaching staff in preparing to face the Wings.
"We've talked to him about their systems and their penalty killing and things we want to do, and he helped the coaches," Bowness said.
And as for how well Glendening is fitting in, Bowness chuckled. Glendening is tied for second on the team in goals with four, despite the fact he's known as a checking forward.
"He's got four goals, he's been outstanding for us, he's been a great addition," Bowness said. "He's everything we'd heard he'd be."
As for the fan base back home in Grand Rapids, Glendening said he's been very pleased with their support.
"My family is the best," he said. "They were the biggest Red Wings fans when I was there, but they might be the biggest Dallas Stars fans in Michigan now. They support me wherever I go, and I can't thank them enough for that."

Lineup updates

Other than Oettinger in goal, the Stars will run the same lineup as they did Saturday against Philadelphia:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Peterson-Seguin-Radulov
Raffl-Benn-Gurianov
Tufte-Faksa-Glendening
Suter-Klingberg
Lindell-Heiskanen
Sekera-Hakanpaa
Oettinger
Khudobin
Bowness said he's been changing the lines up too much and would like to let them settle for a while. That consistency has actually been his tendency in the past, but the Stars just haven't been finding enough success. Ironically, these are close to the lines the team had in training camp.
"I like the way the lines looked," Bowness said. "Now the chemistry of the lines, it has to come from them."

Numbers

8

The Stars have won eight in a row against Detroit at American Airlines Center. Dallas was in the same division with the Red Wings last season and went 6-2-0, including all four wins at home.

34.5

Detroit allows 34.5 shots on goal per game. That's most in the NHL. Dallas generates 29.7 shots on goal per game. That ranks 22nd.

10

Esa Lindell has tallied 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 16 career games against the Red Wings. That's the most points per game he's scored against any opponent in his career.

He said it

"We have four voices. We get together and we go over everything, so sometimes it's just a different voice changes the message just enough. It's not (changing) what we're trying to do, it's just a different voice presenting it." -- Bowness on the decision to swap out John Stevens and Todd Nelson in running the defense Saturday. Stevens went up to the press box, while Nelson ran the defense on the bench.
Great seats are still available for tonight's Stars game against Detroit. Get your tickets now!
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.