Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 17 February, 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

Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars: game preview

Puck drop20 Feb · 8:00 PM ET
VenueAT&T Stadium
All-time meetings42 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Seventeen points apart last season

Vegas finished last season 13th in the league on 95 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 43

Across 42 completed games, Vegas lead the head-to-head 22-11-9.

All-time record22-11-9Vegas's record in the series
Meetings played42This is number 43
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Dallas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
22 Mar 2026VGK 3 – DAL 2——VGK
10 Mar 2026VGK 1 – DAL 2——DAL
29 Jan 2026DAL 5 – VGK 4 SO——DAL
28 Jan 2025DAL 4 – VGK 3 OT——DAL
24 Jan 2025VGK 3 – DAL 4——DAL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVegasDallas
29 Jan 202625-14-12 · 62 pts11th29-14-9 · 67 pts6th
10 Mar 202629-22-14 · 72 pts17th40-14-10 · 90 pts2nd
22 Mar 202632-25-14 · 78 pts18th43-16-11 · 97 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 29 Jan 2026, Vegas were 11th in the league and Dallas 6th. By 22 Mar 2026 it was 18th and 2nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Vegas out-attempted Dallas 188 to 133

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

Vegas Golden Knights

188 att · 81 on goal · 8 G · 9.9%
Crease6 att · 0 G
Slot80 att · 6 G
Wing67 att · 1 G
Point29 att · 1 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Dallas Stars

133 att · 58 on goal · 8 G · 13.8%
Crease5 att · 0 G
Slot65 att · 7 G
Wing40 att · 1 G
Point19 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas 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.

VegasDallas
3.79xG for per game3.08
2.09xG against per game2.44
64.4%xG share55.8%
+1.8FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2
−1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

This season: 4 games for Vegas, 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

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/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
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
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 18 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 18 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Feb

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Feb

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

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 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

22 Mar 20265 · VGK 3–2 DAL
10 Mar 20263 · VGK 1–2 DAL
29 Jan 20269 · DAL 5–4 VGK
28 Jan 20257 · DAL 4–3 VGK
24 Jan 20257 · VGK 3–4 DAL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Vegas4.252.503.233.05
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 suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct
30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies on waivers.

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
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
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