Early look The full preview opens on Monday 26 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Montréal Canadiens at Dallas Stars: game preview

Puck drop29 Oct · 8:00 PM ET
VenueAmerican Airlines Center
All-time meetings47 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Six points apart last season

Montréal finished last season 6th in the league on 106 points. Dallas finished 3rd on 112.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 48

Across 47 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 24-17-6.

All-time record24-17-6Dallas's record in the series
Meetings played47This is number 48
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Dallas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Jan 2026MTL 4 – DAL 3 OT——MTL
13 Nov 2025DAL 7 – MTL 0——DAL
16 Jan 2025MTL 3 – DAL 1——MTL
11 Jan 2025DAL 2 – MTL 1 SO——DAL
10 Feb 2024DAL 3 – MTL 2——DAL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateMontréalDallas
13 Nov 202510-5-2 · 22 pts6th11-4-3 · 25 pts3rd
4 Jan 202623-13-6 · 52 pts6th25-9-8 · 58 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Nov 2025, Montréal were 6th in the league and Dallas 3rd. By 4 Jan 2026 it was 6th and 2nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Montréal out-attempted Dallas 109 to 96

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Montréal Canadiens

109 att · 52 on goal · 4 G · 7.7%
Crease5 att · 0 G
Slot51 att · 3 G
Wing37 att · 1 G
Point12 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Dallas Stars

96 att · 46 on goal · 10 G · 21.7%
Crease5 att · 1 G
Slot53 att · 8 G
Wing24 att · 0 G
Point10 att · 1 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Dallas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

MontréalDallas
2.61xG for per game3.08
3.61xG against per game2.44
42.0%xG share55.8%
+4.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

This season: 3 games for Montréal, 3 for Dallas. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Montréal

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2710.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Dallas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2628.6% · 2nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2777.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.3% · 13th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.1% · 86/156
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 27 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 27 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Oct

Jakub Dobes.8573 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.0

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Oct

Jake Oettinger.9432 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.0
Casey DeSmith.9231 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Montréal in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Jan 20267 · MTL 4–3 DAL
13 Nov 20257 · DAL 7–0 MTL
16 Jan 20254 · MTL 3–1 DAL
11 Jan 20253 · DAL 2–1 MTL
10 Feb 20245 · DAL 3–2 MTL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Montréal4.004.673.453.12
Dallas2.002.003.402.76

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct
27 Sep · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

5 Oct · DAL

Assigned D Cameron Bertucci to Texas (AHL).

1 Oct · DAL

Placed F Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 29. Recalled Fs Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell from Texas (AHL).

30 Sep · DAL

Signed G Casey DeSmith to a two-year contract.

Injury report
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft

Updated after every final