Early look · NHL 2026-27

Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars: game preview

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2ndat

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

Puck drop23 Mar · 8:00 PM ET

VenueAmerican Airlines Center

All-time meetings54 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

One points apart last season

Carolina finished last season 2nd in the league on 113 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 55

Across 54 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 30-19-5.

All-time record30-19-5Dallas's record in the series

Meetings played54This is number 55

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

6 Jan 2026DAL 3 – CAR 6——CAR

25 Oct 2025CAR 2 – DAL 3——DAL

21 Jan 2025CAR 2 – DAL 1——CAR

25 Nov 2024DAL 4 – CAR 6——CAR

24 Feb 2024DAL 2 – CAR 1——DAL

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCarolinaDallas

25 Oct 20256-2-0 · 12 pts8th4-3-1 · 9 pts17th

6 Jan 202626-14-3 · 55 pts5th25-10-8 · 58 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 25 Oct 2025, Carolina were 8th in the league and Dallas 17th. By 6 Jan 2026 it was 5th and 2nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Dallas 148 to 102

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

Carolina Hurricanes

148 att · 61 on goal · 8 G · 13.1%

Crease9 att · 0 G

Slot63 att · 6 G

Wing48 att · 1 G

Point23 att · 1 G

Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

Dallas Stars

102 att · 58 on goal · 6 G · 10.3%

Crease8 att · 2 G

Slot48 att · 2 G

Wing28 att · 2 G

Point16 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina and Dallas are level on 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.

CarolinaDallas

3.74xG for per game3.08

2.21xG against per game2.44

62.9%xG share55.8%

−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2

−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

This season: 4 games for Carolina, 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

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240

Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/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.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

14Jamie Benn31120.67

96Mikko Rantanen31120.67

21Jason Robertson31120.67

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

4Miro Heiskanen32020.67

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 →

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 20 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Dallas

Expected starter after their game on 20 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Mar

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7

Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Mar

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

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

No appearances against Carolina 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

6 Jan 20269 · DAL 3–6 CAR

25 Oct 20255 · CAR 2–3 DAL

21 Jan 20253 · CAR 2–1 DAL

25 Nov 202410 · DAL 4–6 CAR

24 Feb 20243 · DAL 2–1 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

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

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

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 meetings6.0Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct

Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki 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

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

Full draft

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

Tuesday 23 March · the full slate

See all: Tuesday 23 March · the full slate →

DALThis game 8:00 PM ET

Updated after every final