Early look · NHL 2026-27

Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

DallasStars2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 50-20-12 · 112 pts · 3rdat

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32nd

Puck drop5 Dec · 10:00 PM ET

VenueRogers Arena

All-time meetings126 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fifty-four points apart last season

Dallas finished last season 3rd in the league on 112 points. Vancouver finished 32nd on 58.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 127

Across 126 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 64-47-15.

All-time record64-47-15Dallas's record in the series

Meetings played126This is number 127

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Dallas

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

2 Mar 2026DAL 6 – VAN 1——DAL

20 Nov 2025DAL 4 – VAN 2——DAL

16 Oct 2025VAN 5 – DAL 3——VAN

8 Apr 2025VAN 6 – DAL 5 OT——VAN

9 Mar 2025DAL 4 – VAN 1——DAL

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateDallasVancouver

16 Oct 20253-1-0 · 6 pts8th2-2-0 · 4 pts19th

20 Nov 202513-5-3 · 29 pts2nd9-11-2 · 20 pts28th

2 Mar 202629-14-9 · 67 pts6th17-30-5 · 39 pts32nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 16 Oct 2025, Dallas were 8th in the league and Vancouver 19th. By 2 Mar 2026 it was 6th and 32nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Dallas out-attempted Vancouver 172 to 166

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

Dallas Stars

172 att · 92 on goal · 13 G · 14.1%

Crease17 att · 1 G

Slot69 att · 6 G

Wing61 att · 6 G

Point24 att · 0 G

Neutral zone1 att · 0 G

Vancouver Canucks

166 att · 76 on goal · 8 G · 10.5%

Crease11 att · 2 G

Slot62 att · 4 G

Wing58 att · 1 G

Point33 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 1 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.

DallasVancouver

3.08xG for per game2.44

2.44xG against per game3.15

55.8%xG share43.6%

−3.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+9.2

+1.3GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−5.4

This season: 3 games for Dallas, 4 for Vancouver. 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

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

Vancouver

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2723.1%

Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%

Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/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.

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 →

Dallas

Expected starter after their game on 3 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 4 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 2 Dec

Jake Oettinger.9432 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.0

Casey DeSmith.9231 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 2 Dec

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4

Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Dallas 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

2 Mar 20267 · DAL 6–1 VAN

20 Nov 20256 · DAL 4–2 VAN

16 Oct 20258 · VAN 5–3 DAL

8 Apr 202511 · VAN 6–5 DAL

9 Mar 20255 · DAL 4–1 VAN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Dallas2.002.003.402.76

Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

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 meetings7.4Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct

Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

Injury report

Dallas · 2026 draft

See all: Dallas · 2026 draft →

#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD

#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW

#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG

#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC

Full draft

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Saturday 5 December · the full slate

See all: Saturday 5 December · the full slate →

Updated after every final

Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

Fifty-four points apart last season

Meeting number 127

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Dallas out-attempted Vancouver 172 to 166

Dallas Stars

Vancouver Canucks

Dallas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Dallas

Vancouver

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Dallas crease

Vancouver crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

9 on the injury lists

Dallas · injuries

Vancouver · injuries

Latest moves

Dallas · 2026 draft

Vancouver · 2026 draft

Saturday 5 December · the full slate