DETROIT -- Star Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk underwent minor arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday, but don't be fooled into thinking he's just reclining in a comfy chair for a few days.

Datsyuk was at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday morning getting started on off-ice workouts and wondering when he'll be able to get back on the ice just to get skating again.

"Yeah, for sure, no time to relax," Datsyuk said, when asked if he'd begin working out off the ice since having the surgical procedure. "No free tickets to Florida. I need to work out."

Datsyuk was having a great season before it was interrupted by a twinge in his knee that didn't feel right after Detroit's last home game -- a 3-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday that pushed the Red Wings' NHL-record home winning streak to 23 games.

He's amassed 59 points in 59 games (16 goals and 43 assists) and was again near the top of the League in takeaways. Something happened in the San Jose game, however, that caused Datsyuk to mention how his knee felt to Red Wings athletic trainer Piet Van Zant. An MRI was performed, which showed a loose fragment of cartilage that needed to be cleaned up.

"I felt something in my leg, needed to check it," Datsyuk told reporters on Thursday. "I felt it after San Jose game. Maybe it was bothering me a little bit [before], but not like what happened in San Jose game."

When does the jovial superstar hope to get back into some skates and go for a spin?

"Tomorrow," Datsyuk deadpanned.

Really … that soon?

"No," Datsyuk said. "Maybe not. We'll see."

The initial timetable for a return to game action was between two and three weeks, which Datsyuk is hopeful will be the case.

DETROIT -- The Vancouver Canucks got what they were hoping for a couple of weeks ago, when they noticed the Detroit Red Wings had a remarkable home winning streak going.

The Canucks (38-16-6) said they've been rooting for the Red Wings (41-18-2) to extend their streak until Vancouver rolled into town on Thursday night for a matchup of the top two teams in both the Western Conference and League standings (7:30 p.m., NHLN) -- and that's exactly what happened.

Detroit's NHL record home streak stands at 23 straight games and the Canucks are eager to give it their best shot to make sure it doesn't get to 24.

"It's fun," Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo said after a morning workout at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday. "It's a great challenge for our team. We're excited about it and I think guys want to put out a great effort tonight to try and break the streak."

He's also not concerned that comments made by him or his teammates provided bulletin board material for the Wings.

"I didn't say we were going to beat them," Luongo said. "I said it was a challenge for us to come here and try to beat them. I mean, I think guys are excited about that. I never said we were going to come in here and win. I just said we were excited about the opportunity and that it's a great challenge for our team to try and do something special."

The Red Wings feel likewise about their record mark, which they'd like to extend as long as possible. They'll still be without star center Pavel Datsyuk (knee), however, so the challenge to keep the streak alive gets even greater against the highly-skilled Canucks -- whose 20-10-2 road record is the best in the League.

"I like playing Vancouver," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said of the matchup. "It'll be a good test for us."

It will also be the first time defenseman Kyle Quincey pulls on the Red Wings sweater again, after being traded back to the team that originally drafted him in 2003 from both the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning as part of a three-team deal on Tuesday.

His first game with the Wings this season also happens to be one in which Detroit's trying to keep its impressive streak alive.

"I was thinking about that," said Quincey, who will start out with Jonathan Ericsson on Detroit's third pairing along with getting some time on the power-play and penalty-kill units. "A lot of people were asking me about [playing] Colorado on Saturday night, but trust me I'm really focused on tonight. I don't want to be the guy who messes that up. But these guys aren't talking about that, they're just trying to get the win. And I know [Vancouver] is pretty close behind us. It'll be a big game, exciting game to watch."

Here is how the Canucks and Red Wings will likely line up on Thursday night:

CANUCKS
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows
David Booth - Ryan Kesler - Mason Raymond
Chris Higgins - Cody Hodgson - Jannik Hansen
Manny Malhotra - Maxim Lapierre - Dale Weise

Dan Hamhuis - Kevin Bieksa
Alexander Edler - Sami Salo
Aaron Rome - Christopher Tanev

Roberto Luongo
Cory Schneider

RED WINGS
Johan Franzen - Henrik Zetterberg - Todd Bertuzzi
Danny Cleary - Valtteri Filppula - Jiri Hudler
Drew Miller - Darren Helm - Justin Abdelkader
Jan Mursak - Cory Emmerton - Tomas Holmstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom - Ian White
Niklas Kronwall - Brad Stuart
Jonathan Ericsson - Kyle Quincey

Jimmy Howard
Joey MacDonald

CHICAGO – Hours after completing a trade to bring in defenseman Kyle Quincey as part of a three-team deal, Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland didn’t rule out making another deal before Monday’s trade deadline expires.

Quincey’s addition gives the Red Wings eight NHL defensemen and the recent play of goalie Joey MacDonald has settled the backup role in net, but that doesn’t mean Detroit is necessarily done wheeling and
dealing.

“I'm going to kick the tires,” Holland told NHL.com prior to his team playing the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night at the United Center. “We're done in goal, we're done on defense. We might be done. We'll see."

As for what might pique Holland’s interest now, think forwards – big forwards. Also, don’t be surprised if the Red Wings stand pat after Tuesday’s deal between his club, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche.

“You’re always looking for grit and size and experience,” Holland said. “We’ll see. It’s got to be a fit. At the end of the day, this (Quincey) trade was about a fit for three teams.”

CHICAGO -- He's waited all season to feel like this, but now Bryan Bickell is finally starting to play up to the expectations that were heaped on the hulking Chicago Blackhawks forward coming into the season.

After scoring 17 goals and finishing with 37 points in 78 games last season -- his first full NHL campaign -- the 6-foot-4, 233-pound Bickell was thought to be a potential 20-goal scorer in the making. The way he played in a rout of the Vancouver Canucks in the fourth game of what turned out to be a classic seven-game series made the expectations even greater.

Bickell severed a tendon in that game on a skate blade, however, and needed surgery to repair it. Until recently, he's floundered this season trying to find both his deadly wrist shot and the confidence to fire it more often.

Bickell scored just 4 goals and added 5 assists in the first 54 games this season and was a healthy scratch 11 times. But something clicked during Chicago's recent nine-game road trip, starting with a goal scored on Feb. 10 in San Jose.

Chicago lost the game, but Bickell started to play like he did a year ago -- adding another goal and two more helpers in the next five games, the last three resulting in Hawks wins.

"It's a new page and it's good," said Bickell, who's playing left wing on Chicago's third line with Dave Bolland in the middle and Viktor Stalberg on the right wing. "I think there's light at the end of the tunnel and our line with Bolly's been playing good, which is huge for our team and it's nice to see. We've got to keep things going the right way."

What's been the key to Bickell's game changing back toward the positive?

"I think playing [defense] is the biggest part," Bickell said after Tuesday's morning skate, prior to facing the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night at the United Center (8 p.m., NBCSN, TBS2). "Then our offensive chances will come."

As for his own confidence level?

"It's where it was last year," Bickell said. "I know last year was a good year for me, and coming into this year there were a lot higher expectations of me. It was a slow start and it's been a slow, bumpy ride until now. I just need to keep this up and give this team everything I can do to win."

One of those things is simply shooting the puck more. Bickell had a deadly-accurate and hard wrist shot last season, which is one reason he scored 17 goals. Did the severed tendon affect it in any way?

"It's not where it was, but mentally it feels the same," Bickell said of his wrist shot. "I just need to shoot more. A lot of guys around this room think I have a good shot and I need to use it more."

The same can be said for his size, which he gets criticized for not using more as a checking-line winger.

"We're missing [Daniel Carcillo] for the rest of the year, who is a big physical guy, so it makes me have to step up more and be more physical," Bickell said. "Now we've got [Jimmy Hayes] here, too, so we can be more physical. I hope me and him can throw some guys around."

CHICAGO -- The Detroit Red Wings had room to carry three goalies if they wanted, but decided instead to put veteran backup Ty Conklin on waivers Monday afternoon.

He cleared waivers on Tuesday and headed to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, where he'll get the majority of minutes.

"I think Ty Conklin needs to play,” Detroit general manager Ken Holland told reporters on Monday. "He hasn't really got it going. His starts have been sporadic, and I think his play has probably been sporadic. He's played some good games and played some games not so good. We're running a risk he'll get claimed on waivers. We've prepared to take that risk. Jimmy Howard's finger … we believe he's ready to roll, but we don't know until he gets at it."

Howard will get the start on Tuesday night in Chicago (NBCSN, TSN2), while 32-year old Joey MacDonald will be the backup. Conklin started the season as Howard's backup, but struggled in most of his opportunities to play and lasted only one period on Feb. 2 in Edmonton in an effort to replace Howard after he went down with a broken finger on Jan. 31 in Vancouver.

MacDonald, Detroit's backup for much of last season, relieved Conklin and didn't come out of the net for the next seven games. He won the last six in a row at Joe Louis Arena to help the Wings set an NHL record with 23 straight home wins.

"Obviously, Joey has been a great story for us," Holland said. "I still think Ty has some good hockey in him and still has some good games left in him. I just talked to him. He hasn't played a lot and hasn't had a really good chance to get it going. It opened a crack and Joey MacDonald grabbed it."

While pleased to be staying in the NHL, MacDonald realizes his job description changes now that Howard is coming back. Howard rarely came out of the net before he got hurt and loves to absorb playing time -- like most goalies. MacDonald started seven straight games and went 6-1-1 in eight appearances filling in for Howard. He also posted stellar secondary numbers, with a 1.66 goals-against average and .934 save percentage.

Will it be a difficult switch for MacDonald to now sit most of the time?

"I don't think so," MacDonald said. "I've been around and I know what to expect. Last year, Howie was doing awesome and I just kind of waited and waited and waited and got a start every now and then. That's the thing with a backup goalie. You got to be ready at all times and whatever it is, if it's next week or whenever my next start is, I just got to be ready and just perform the same way as I have been over the last couple of weeks."

The Wings also see the situation as a plus for the organization, especially if Conklin finds his game down in the minors.

"It's the old 'What have you done for me lately?' and Joey MacDonald has been an incredible story for us the last two weeks," Holland said. "If the other guy goes down and lights it up for two weeks and Joey comes off it, we're in a position [then] that they've both cleared waivers. Joey MacDonald is in a groove right now. We need Ty Conklin playing. We still think he's still got good hockey in him. We've seen it this year."

Ironically, one of Conklin's best performances this season came in Chicago on Jan. 8, when he gave up two quick goals in the first period and then shut the Blackhawks down the rest of the way -- setting the stage for Pavel Datsyuk's game-winning goal late in overtime in a 3-2 Detroit win.

CHICAGO -- Jimmy Howard has to get back in net at some point, so why not make his return from a broken finger in one of the toughest buildings to play, against a team that's on a three-game winning streak?

That's the approach that Howard, the Detroit Red Wings starting goalie, is taking coming into Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United  Center (NBCSN,TSN2). Howard broke the index finger on his right [blocker side] hand on Feb. 2 in Vancouver and hasn't played since -- a span of eight games and 19 days.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Howard, who has 32 wins in 44 starts. "Why not? No matter where you play now in the NHL, with the parity, it's always tough. So, it might as well be here in Chicago. I always enjoy playing here and it's always a great atmosphere."

In the time he's been out, the Wings returned from the road trip where he got hurt and won six straight games at Joe Louis Arena to set the NHL record with 23 straight home victories. Howard won the first 17 and then watched 32-year old journeyman backup Joey MacDonald win the last six.

Aside from the anxiousness of watching games, the biggest issues in Howard's recovery have been finding the right comfort level for his injured digit while holding the goalie stick and tracking the puck with traffic in front of him.

The puck-tracking probably just requires him to get back into games and get his anticipation and feel for stopping pucks back, while the stick has been altered to adjust to the finger. Howard originally had a notch cut out of the stick to accommodate where his gloved and bandaged finger would rest, but he did away with it because the notch was too big and it felt awkward.

He went back to an unaltered stick for a few practices and then came back recently with another notched cue -- only this one with a less pronounced slot cut out of it.

"The one that I used [Monday], with the way that it's cut out, the notch isn't as big so my hand isn't as far down on the paddle," Howard said. "It makes it easier to use. We've continued to tinker and still tinkering with stuff. It seems like we've gotten a good mix here. We're just trying to find ways to make it more comfortable with holding onto the stick and trying to be as realistic as possible out there with it."

As for the pain level with the finger?

"The pain level isn't really a factor anymore," Howard said. "It's more so, just being comfortable out there and using the stick. We're just trying to figure out some things to make it better."

CHICAGO -- Just like that, two of the biggest stars and top-line centers for Tuesday night's matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks are not playing.

Chicago captain Jonathan Toews is out with an undisclosed upper-body injury that’s being termed "day-to-day" and is different from the one that caused him to miss a game prior to the All Star-break plus the All-Star Game itself.

Over in the opponent's locker room, the Red Wings will play without star center Pavel Datsyuk -- who could be gone for 2-3 weeks after having his knee scoped on Tuesday morning in Detroit.

"Taser's out tonight, day-to-day," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after Chicago's morning skate at the United Center. "Johnny's important in a lot of ways. He brings leadership and quality ice time for us and affects us in a lot of ways."

As for Datsyuk, the Wings were a little more specific about his injury and the timetable for when he's expected to return to action.

"Pav is going to be out a couple of weeks with minor arthroscopic surgery this morning," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said prior to Detroit's morning skate on Tuesday. "Everything is real good. He got a fragment in his knee, an old thing we wanted to clean up here prior to playoff time, so he'll be out a couple weeks. So, it's a good opportunity for someone else."

Brendan Morrison will start out centering Chicago's top line in place of Toews -- between Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane -- while Henrik Zetterberg will bump up from the Red Wings' second line to the first and have Valtteri Filppula move from left wing of Detroit's second line to the middle.

Forward Danny Cleary, who's missed the last five games with knee soreness, will return to the lineup for Detroit -- but instead of right wing on the third line, he will man one of the wings on the second line, with Justin Abdelkader staying on the right side of Darren Helm on the third forward unit.

"It's always a big thing having depth and guys who can play different roles," said Abdelkader, who also has center experience along with top-line left wing Johan Franzen, who can take draws and used to be a center in the Swedish Elite League. "I think[Datsyuk] is the best overall player in the game, so it's tough losing him. It's going to be a big loss. Hopefully we can all come together and fill the void together. It's just part of hockey. You know there's going to be injuries."

Quenneville said it's imperative that Morrison not try to do too much to replace Toews.

"When you get in there, don't try to be Johnny," Quenneville said. "Just be yourself."

Here is how the Red Wings and Blackhawks will likely line up on Tuesday night:

RED WINGS
Johan Franzen - Henrik Zetterberg - Todd Bertuzzi
Jiri Hudler - Valtteri Filppula - Danny Cleary
Drew Miller - Darren Helm - Justin Abdelkader
Jan Mursak - Cory Emmerton - Tomas Holmstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom - Ian White
Niklas Kronwall - Brad Stuart
Jonathan Ericsson - Jakub Kindl

Jimmy Howard
Joey MacDonald

BLACKHAWKS
Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Patrick Kane
Andrew Brunette - Marcus Kruger - Marian Hossa
Bryan Bickell - Dave Bolland - Victor Stalberg
Jimmy Hayes - Jamal Mayers - John Scott

Duncan Keith - Dylan Olsen
Sean O'Donnell - Brent Seabrook
Sami Lepisto - Nick Leddy

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

DETROIT -- The San Jose Sharks will be without hulking Swedish defenseman Douglas Murray for a second straight game when they play the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena (12:30 p.m., NBC).

Murray suffered a fracture Adam's Apple last week in Tampa Bay, when he tried to break up a pass on a rush to the net and the puck rolled up the shaft of his stick and hit him in the throat. Murray said he's sitting out mainly as a precautionary measure.

"I feel fine," Murray said. "It's nothing I can really feel. It's more the doctors making a decision on it. It's precautionary. It can get a lot worse, so it's something you don't want to mess around with. Right now, I just listen to what the doctors say."

The biggest medical issue would be swelling in his throat, which could constrict breathing and eating.

"The doctors call it prime real estate because there's not a lot of room there," Murray said. "Any type of swelling it becomes a major thing, even though it's nothing major right now."

Thus, there is no set timeline for a return. Missing a game against the Red Wings is also a big disappointment for Murray -- who's Swedish and enjoys facing all the Swedish stars in Detroit's lineup. The Wings also have an NHL record 22-game home winning streak going, which would be a feather in the cap for the Sharks to end.

"It's always fun to play against them," Murray said.  "I have a lot of different motivating factors. They're putting a 22-game home winning streak on the line here, which would've made it even more exciting to play against them. It's always been special for me to play against them, with all the great Swedish players they have – especially with Lidstrom. That always motivates you a little extra."

DETROIT -- Detroit will start journeyman backup Joey MacDonald for a seventh straight time, while starting goalie Jimmy Howard takes the added time to continue healing up a broken finger that's kept him out since injuring it Feb. 2 at Vancouver.

Red Wings star center Pavel Datsyuk is expected to play against the Shark after having a slight sore throat on Saturday and not practicing outdoors with the rest of the team at Clark Park on the city's West side in front of an estimated 2,000 fans.

Detroit will also be without forward Danny Cleary at least one more game with knee soreness, as he hopes to return to the lineup on Tuesday in Chicago. San Jose will be without defenseman Douglas Murray, who's been diagnosed with a broken Adam's Apple after a puck hit him in the throat last week in Tampa Bay.

Here is how the Sharks and Red Wings might line up to start Sunday's game.

SHARKS

Patrick Marleau - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski
Ryane Clowe - Logan Couture - Tommy Wingels
Jamie McGinn - Dominic Moore - Torrey Mitchell
Andrew Desjardins - Michal Handzus - Benn Ferriero

Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Dan Boyle
Colin White - Brent Burns
Jim Vandermeer - Justin Braun

Antti Niemi
Thomas Greiss

RED WINGS

Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Jiri Hudler
Johan Franzen - Valtteri Filppula - Todd Bertuzzi
Drew Miller - Darren Helm - Justin Abdelkader
Jan Mursak - Cory Emmerton - Tomas Holmstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom - Ian White
Niklas Kronwall - Brad Stuart
Jonathan Ericsson - Mike Commodore

Joey MacDonald
Ty Conklin

Note: The top two lines looked this way for most of the third period in Friday's 2-1 victory against the Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena. Datsyuk didn't skate with the rest of the team at Saturday's practice, so the forward lines weren't what they'll be to start out against the Sharks on Sunday. If Babcock goes back to the line combinations he's used most of the season, he will split up Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and put the Swedish star forward at center of the second line while bumping up power forward Johan Franzen to the top line -- and likely flip-flopping Bertuzzi and Hudler at right wing on the top two units.

DETROIT -- Based on the recent past, it probably isn't just a coincidence the Detroit Red Wings have rattled off an NHL record 22 straight home victories without once facing the San Jose Sharks.

Not only have the Sharks knocked the Red Wings from the playoffs in the Western Conference semifinals the past two seasons, but San Jose has also won five straight regular-season games against Detroit regardless of location.

That includes a 4-2 victory at Joe Louis Arena on Oct. 28, which still stands as one of just two regulation losses for the Red Wings on their home ice this season. Think there isn't some extra importance being placed on the Sharks' second visit to the Motor City by Detroit on Sunday (12:30 p.m., NBC)?

"They've beat us every time we played them this year," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "It must be time to say, 'Enough's enough.' We got to do something about that. They're a good team. They're on a long road trip. We've played well at home. They should throw the puck to the net a lot, got big forwards, they're active on the back end, so it should be a fun game."

San Jose expects nothing less.

"They've definitely won some games here at home 3-2 or 2-1, so they've found ways to win," Sharks forward Ryane Clowe said after a practice on Saturday at Joe Louis Arena. "I expect a tight game, but it's important for us to have a good start."

When did the Sharks start to take notice of the Wings' impressive home winning streak?

"I think when they got around 16 or 17 wins and got closer to breaking the [old record of 20]," Clowe said. "There were games in there where they just won by a goal or won in a shootout, so they were finding ways to win. I expect them to be fired up for us. We've played them a couple times and beat them, so they'll be ready. But we've got to get our own streak going here."

Antti Niemi will likely be in goal to start for the Sharks, who've lost two straight games and find themselves looking for a turnaround game in the middle of a brutal nine-game road trip. Niemi hasn't been on top of his game of late, but coming to Detroit always seems to cure whatever ails him.'

The Finnish goalie has played well inside Joe Louis Arena since his days playing with the Chicago Blackhawks.

"We've been able to play some better games here," Niemi said. "That's something that gives us extra confidence, for sure. I've felt good playing here so far. I think playing a top team, you don't need to dig deep to get the motivation when you play these guys."

Still, Detroit's streak can't be overlooked.

"That's unbelievable," Niemi said. "You would think you would have some bad bounces, and it would be almost impossible to do. It's hard to win a couple of back-to-back games, even at home. Doing it that many times? It's huge."