Defenseman Brad Stuart and center Kris Draper will be in the lineup when the Red Wings kick open the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday night in Joe Louis Arena against the Nashville Predators. Stuart has been recovering from a broken finger and will play despite the finger not being 100%. Draper had been sidelined with discomfort in his groin.

The Red Wings won't get back forwards Kirk Maltby (hamstring) nor Mikael Samuelsson (groin), however. Maltby has yet to return to the ice after slightly tearing his hamstring and Sameulsson has only begun skating on his own. Samuelsson is hopeful he may return Thursday but it doesn't appear that he'll be cleared to do so. Maltby likely won't be back until the late stages of the first round if the series extends that far.

The injuries up front likely mean that newly-signed prospect Justin Abdelkader, who was strong in a pair of games at the end of the regular season, could dress for a 3rd or 4th line spot for Thursday's opener. Abdelkader practiced with Kris Draper and Jiri Hudler on the Wings' 3rd line during Tuesday's practice.

Stuart's imminent return to the lineup likely means that Brett Lebda will be the odd-man out in the defensive pairings. As pointed out by MLive.com's Ansar Kahn, Andreas Lilja skated with Chris Chelios as the Red Wings' No. 3 pairing. Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski make up the top pairing while Niklas Kronwall and Stuart round out the second unit.