Looking to start making up ground in the standings, Lindy Ruff's Dallas Stars (9-8-6 overall, 3-5-4 on the road) are in Motown on Tuesday to take on Jeff Blashill's Detroit Red Wings (10-10-2). Game time is 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.

This is the first of two meetings this season between the inter-conference teams, and the lone game in Detroit. Last season, the Stars went 1-0-1 against the Red Wings. Over the past three seasons, Detroit has won four of the six meetings but the Stars have gained at least one point in four of the games (2-2-2).

If one wants to take a glass half-full outlook at the Stars' recent play, it could pointed out that the team has earned at least one point in eight of the last 10 games. However, only five of those games have been wins (5-2-3) and the team has remained maddeningly inconsistent in its overall performance.

Monday's game in St. Louis was a microcosm of Dallas' play this season. The team fell in a 2-0 hole to the Blues, were able to rally for a point (courtesy of a late game-tying goal by defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who scored a pair of goals in the game) but then proceeded to have a coverage breakdown (Oleksiak was the guilty party) during the 3-on-3 overtime, allowing the dangerous Vladimir Tarasenko to get open and score from prime shooting range to end the game. The Stars are 1-6 thus far in games that go beyond regulation.

On the injury front, veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya is out with a lower-body injury. The team remains without Jiri Hudler (illness), Mattias Janmark (knee surgery) and Ales Hemsky (hip), all of whom are on the injured reserve list.

While the Stars are playing the second half of back-to-back games, the Red Wings last played on Saturday. Detroit enters this game coming off a 2-1 overtime home loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

On the Red Wings' injury front, forward Tyler Bertuzzi (ankle) and defenseman Brendan Smith (knee) both went down in Saturday's game and were subsequently placed on injured reserve. Tomas Jurco, however, has completed a conditioning assignment after rehabbing a back injury, and has been activated from injured reserve. However speedy young forward Andreas Athanasiou (lower body), defenseman Alexey Marchenko (upper body), and veteran goaltender Jimmy Howard (groin) all remain on IR.

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