Music: {allcanada} STARS (19-5-1) at CANUCKS (9-9-8)

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

{allcanada} STARS (19-5-1) at CANUCKS (9-9-8)

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

10:00 PM ET

STARS (19-5-1) at CANUCKS (9-9-8)

TV: FS-SW, SN360

Season series: The Dallas Stars have defeated the Vancouver Canucks at home twice this season, 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 29 and 3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 27. Patrick Sharp leads the Stars with two goals and two assists. Daniel Sedin tops the Canucks with a goal and four points.

Stars team scope: Defenseman Jason Demers (lower body) did not practice Wednesday after being injured in a 4-3 shootout loss at the Calgary Flames the night before. Coach Lindy Ruff told the Stars website that Demers is day-to-day and is questionable for Thursday. Jordie Benn moved up into Demers' spot alongside Johnny Oduya at practice, and Patrik Nemeth was in Benn's spot on the third pairing beside Jyrki Jokipakka. Goalie Kari Lehtonen was activated from injured reserve, and Jack Campbell was reassigned to Texas of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. Lehtonen missed five games with an upper-body injury. With back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday, Lehtonen likely will get a start before the end of this three-game road trip that began with a loss after the Stars built a 3-0 lead after two periods in Calgary. "We just stopped playing hockey," captain Jamie Benn told the Stars website. "We knew they were a desperate hockey team, and we knew they have some firepower. It was a pretty embarrassing loss." The Stars have beaten the Canucks nine consecutive times, including in the past four visits to Vancouver.

Canucks team scope: The Canucks announced center Brandon Sutter underwent hernia surgery on Tuesday and will be out 4-6 weeks. He hasn't played since Nov. 10, and the Canucks have gone 2-5-3 in his absence. Forward Ronalds Kenins was recalled from Utica of the AHL and defenseman Andrey Pedan was sent down. Pedan made his NHL debut in a 2-1 overtime loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. But the Canucks have a shortage at forward with Chris Higgins (concussion) out and Jake Virtanen (hip) day-to-day. The Canucks took the day off after returning from a 1-1-2 road trip. Vancouver's penalty-killing unit has surrendered 16 goals in the past 14 games. The Canucks have lost a League-worst seven times in the new 3-on-3 overtime format. "You have to play confident. You have to believe what you are doing," coach Willie Desjardins told the Canucks website. "Right now, it's hard to believe if you don't get the results, but given that we have to believe in what we're going to do and go out and execute."