Stars captain Brenden Morrow was hit in the left knee by a puck in the second period of Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets and exited the game early. He attempted to return for the third period, but after one shift he said he didn't have any strength in the knee and was finished for the night. That's the same knee that Morrow had problems with in the preseason, when he tweaked it against the Canadiens and missed most of training camp.

The Blackhawks will get one player back from injury while another will make his NHL debut when they host the Red Wings on Friday night at the United Center. Daniel Carcillo is ready to play after missing the last six games with a concussion. "It's exciting to get back in the lineup, especially against Detroit," Carcillo said. "I'm going to have to be on my game and focused. We all are. We have to bounce back from last game. It will be a good test." Chicago winger Jimmy Hayes will make his NHL debut after being recalled from the AHL on Thursday. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Hayes was a 2010 draft day acquisition via trade with the Maple Leafs. "It's a dream come true," Hayes said. "It's what I worked for my whole life. That was a great phone call to get. It's great to get thrown right into the fire. It's a big game, Detroit-Chicago. Hopefully I can just go out there and execute and play my best." Hayes will play on the fourth line with Jamal Mayers and Andrew Brunette.

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, who has missed the last 12 games with a lower body injury, was activated off injured reserve on Wednesday. He will be between the pipes against the Blue Jackets on Thursday. "(Lehtonen) is ready to go. He'll get the start (Thursday) and I think it's the right time to do all this and he's ready," coach Glen Gulutzan said. To make room on the roster, defenseman Stephane Robidas was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 19.

Shea Weber will not play Friday, as the Predators captain remains out indefinitely with concussion symptoms. "Even Sunday is unlikely," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "There is no timetable for his return at this point. We are not putting him at risk." Weber was injured last Friday after taking a hard hit from Mark Fistric of the Stars.

Canucks left wing Chris Higgins has an undiagnosed hand problem that the coach says might be related to a foot infection. Higgins stayed home Tuesday when the team left for a three-game California road trip. Coach Alain Vigneault said after practice that Higgins' hand was so swollen he went to the hospital.

The Stars have told goaltender Andrew Raycroft that he will be placed on waivers Wednesday morning, clearing the way for Kari Lehtonen to be activated for Thursday's game against the Blue Jackets. Lehtonen, who suffered a groin injury in a Nov. 26 game at Phoenix, has missed the last 12 games. If Raycroft clears waivers on Thursday morning, he would be assigned to the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Kings left wing Simon Gagne did not accompany the team to Chicago on Tuesday morning after suffering an upper-body injury the night before during a 4-3 victory against the visiting Coyotes. The injury appeared to occur late in the first period after he was checked into the glass. He returned to play six shifts in the second, then left the game. Kings coach Darryl Sutter said afterward that Gagne was "banged up" but didn't elaborate.

The Coyotes have put starting goalie Mike Smith on injured reserve with a strained groin. Phoenix recalled goalie Curtis McElhinney and forward Patrick O'Sullivan on Monday night before visiting the Kings. The Coyotes also assigned goalie Justin Pogge to the AHL.

With the Winter Classic one week away, injured Rangers defenseman Marc Staal has cleared another significant hurdle in his long-awaited return from post-concussion symptoms. Staal, 24, who has yet to play a game this season because of lingering effects stemming from a concussion suffered last February, was cleared for contact Monday for the first time during his recovery process.

Bruins forward Rich Peverley will miss Friday night's game with an undisclosed nagging injury. Part of the thinking behind keeping Peverley out against the Panthers at the TD Garden is that he'll have extra time to rest. With the Christmas break, the Bruins don't play again until Wednesday. "We're going to keep him out tonight, and go with what we thought was the best plan here, give him a whole week to hopefully recover and be in better shape when he gets back," coach Claude Julien said.