Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 17 December, 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

Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets: game preview

Puck drop20 Dec · 5:00 PM ET
VenueCanada Life Centre
All-time meetings57 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirty points apart last season

Dallas finished last season 3rd in the league on 112 points. Winnipeg finished 26th on 82, and the 2025-26 season series went DAL 4-0-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 58

Across 57 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 30-23-4.

All-time record30-23-4Dallas's record in the series
Meetings played57This is number 58
2025-26 seriesDAL 4-0-0
Last 55-0Dallas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
2 Apr 2026WPG 0 – DAL 3——DAL
2 Feb 2026WPG 3 – DAL 4 OT——DAL
9 Dec 2025DAL 4 – WPG 3——DAL
9 Oct 2025DAL 5 – WPG 4——DAL
17 May 2025WPG 1 – DAL 2 OT——DAL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateDallasWinnipeg
9 Oct 20251-0-0 · 2 pts11th0-1-0 · 0 pts22nd
9 Dec 202521-5-5 · 47 pts2nd14-14-1 · 29 pts26th
2 Feb 202629-14-9 · 67 pts6th20-24-7 · 47 pts30th
2 Apr 202645-19-12 · 102 pts3rd32-31-12 · 76 pts26th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Oct 2025, Dallas were 11th in the league and Winnipeg 22nd. By 2 Apr 2026 it was 3rd and 26th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Winnipeg out-attempted Dallas 228 to 205

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

Dallas Stars

205 att · 105 on goal · 16 G · 15.2%
Crease25 att · 3 G
Slot79 att · 10 G
Wing66 att · 3 G
Point28 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Winnipeg Jets

228 att · 107 on goal · 10 G · 9.3%
Crease15 att · 0 G
Slot101 att · 9 G
Wing76 att · 1 G
Point30 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 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.

DallasWinnipeg
3.08xG for per game3.37
2.44xG against per game3.37
55.8%xG share50.0%
−3.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.1
+1.3GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.1

This season: 3 games for Dallas, 3 for Winnipeg. 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

Winnipeg

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.5% · 24th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 21st
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 79/177
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
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
81Kyle Connor33251.67
91Cole Perfetti32351.67
17Adam Lowry31231.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
44Josh Morrissey30331.00
2Dylan DeMelo31120.67
38Mario Ferraro31010.33
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 19 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 19 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Dec

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

No appearances against Winnipeg in the last meetings.

Winnipeg crease

WPG · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Dec

Stuart Skinner.9092 GP · 1-0-1 · GSAx +1.1
Clay Stevenson.9381 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 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 Apr 20263 · WPG 0–3 DAL
2 Feb 20267 · WPG 3–4 DAL
9 Dec 20257 · DAL 4–3 WPG
9 Oct 20259 · DAL 5–4 WPG
17 May 20253 · WPG 1–2 DAL

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
Winnipeg3.002.672.823.17

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 suggest5.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct

Winnipeg · injuries

Connor HellebuyckSuspensionIRReturn17 Oct
Elias SalomonssonShoulderIRReturn15 Oct
Garrett BrownLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Walker DuehrLower BodyIRReturn17 Oct
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.

10 Aug 2026 · WPG

Signed F Tyrel Bauer to a two-year contract.

15 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Cole Perfetti to a five-year contract.

13 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Viggo Björck to a three-year contract.

Injury report
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft
#8Viggo BjorckRound 1 · DjurgardenC
#71Samuel HrenakRound 3 · FargoG
#116Zach WootenRound 4 · Green BayLW
#135Alexandre TailleferRound 5 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final