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Steve Ott has been hobbling because of a sore groin for much of this season. But the last time the Dallas Stars had him in the lineup, they played one of their best defensive games of the year – a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers.

So when Ott returns tonight after a three-game injury hiatus, the Stars are hoping they will be better defensively.

“We miss his energy out there,” coach Dave Tippett said. “He plays the game hard every shift. He’s a physical player who will compete for space. He’s a gritty player that plays hard in those defensive areas. That’s what we need right now.”

Ott played on the left wing with Brad Richards and Sean Avery in practice Tuesday, and that could mean the two agitators will be on the same line against the Minnesota Wild tonight. Tippett tried that combination with some success in the preseason but has stayed away from it during the regular season.

“I can’t wait to see it,” center Mike Ribeiro said. “Those two together would be interesting.”

Ott said he’s excited about returning. He has been trying to play injured, and he believes he lost some of his edge.

“I think with something like that, you have to sit down for a while and just let it rest,” Ott said. “I feel much better, and I’ve really been able to push it the last couple of days.”

Ott has an obvious love for the game, and his annoying antics often create tension-breakers for his teammates on the ice. With the Stars 3-4-2 on the year and the Wild 6-0-1, Dallas needs a release of pressure.

“I’ve been bugging him to come back,” Ribeiro said. “We’ve been having some ups and downs, so we need a guy like that. He brings energy to the building.”

Lundqvist out 4-6 weeks: Joel Lundqvist suffered a shoulder injury Saturday in the Stars’ 6-5 OT loss to Washington and will be out 4-6 weeks, Tippett said.

The Stars do not have an immediate plan to replace Lundqvist in the lineup, but they hope Jere Lehtinen (groin) can start skating Wednesday and return soon.

The ability to place both Lundqvist and Lehtinen (retroactively) on long-term injury could create the salary cap space necessary to make Sergei Zubov’s return to the lineup Saturday a smooth transition.

Miettinen returns: Former Stars winger Antti Miettinen will play his first game against his old team tonight. Miettinen, who signed as a free agent with the Wild in the summer, has six goals in seven games.

“I liked Antti,” Tippett said. “You’re happy to see guys like that succeed, because he’s a great kid. I hope he doesn’t have a great game against us, but sometimes change is good for everybody.”