"Khudobin suffered a mild muscle strain three days ago, and we think he is going to be fine. Same thing, actually less severe, with Bishop," said Stars coach Jim Montgomery. "We just don't want to take a chance. Both of them have played well, both of them are feeling good about themselves. So, they'll have tomorrow off just with off-ice stuff for conditioning, then they'll have Monday off, and both will be full go on Tuesday."
Landon Bow, who was superb in goal in Friday's 3-1 loss at St. Louis, also has a minor lower-body strain, but he did practice Saturday and is expected to be the backup on Sunday.
Forward Valeri Nichushkin did not practice again Saturday, but Montgomery indicated it is not serious.
"Val is maintenance. He is the exact same thing as [Bishop]. We are just not taking a chance," Montgomery said.
There was some positive news on defenseman Stephen Johns, who has been out with an undisclosed injury. He hit the ice before practice Saturday.
"Good sign. He felt good. We're very optimistic," Montgomery said. "He's not going to play tomorrow. We're very optimistic for Thursday. It was his first time on the ice, so we are going to see how he does for tomorrow."
Montgomery said there is still a chance that Johns could end up starting the season on injured reserve, but the team will take day to day.
As for Sunday's game, which is the final tuneup before Thursday's season opener against Arizona, the Stars will roll out another strong lineup including the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov. Devin Shore will get a look on the second line, playing right wing with center Jason Spezza and left wing Mattias Janmark. Radek Faksa will center Blake Comeau and Tyler Pitlick. Roope Hintz will center Jason Dickinson and Brett Ritchie.
Hintz continues to make a strong push for a roster spot with final decisions due by Tuesday afternoon.
"He's been getting better and better," Montgomery said of Hintz. "That's the true sign of a guy that is ready to play in the league. (Sunday) night is important for him."
On defense, the Stars will give Marc Methot the day off and allow him to get some rest. So, Roman Polak will come in and skate with Gavin Bayreuther. The other defense pairs will be Esa Lindell-John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen-Julius Honka.
