Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 5 January, 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 Anaheim Ducks: game preview

Puck drop8 Jan · 10:00 PM ET
VenueHonda Center
All-time meetings166 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty points apart last season

Dallas finished last season 3rd in the league on 112 points. Anaheim finished 18th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 167

Across 166 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 99-51-16.

All-time record99-51-16Dallas's record in the series
Meetings played166This is number 167
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Anaheim
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
13 Jan 2026DAL 1 – ANA 3——ANA
19 Dec 2025DAL 8 – ANA 3——DAL
6 Nov 2025ANA 7 – DAL 5——ANA
18 Mar 2025ANA 3 – DAL 4 OT——DAL
4 Feb 2025DAL 1 – ANA 2——ANA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateDallasAnaheim
6 Nov 20257-4-3 · 17 pts13th9-3-1 · 19 pts5th
19 Dec 202524-7-5 · 53 pts2nd20-13-2 · 42 pts7th
13 Jan 202627-11-9 · 63 pts2nd22-21-3 · 47 pts25th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 6 Nov 2025, Dallas were 13th in the league and Anaheim 5th. By 13 Jan 2026 it was 2nd and 25th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Anaheim out-attempted Dallas 198 to 144

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

Dallas Stars

144 att · 76 on goal · 14 G · 18.4%
Crease11 att · 1 G
Slot75 att · 12 G
Wing36 att · 1 G
Point16 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Anaheim Ducks

198 att · 75 on goal · 13 G · 17.3%
Crease21 att · 2 G
Slot77 att · 7 G
Wing66 att · 3 G
Point29 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Dallas and Anaheim 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.

DallasAnaheim
3.08xG for per game2.19
2.44xG against per game3.49
55.8%xG share38.6%
−3.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
+1.3GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.0

This season: 3 games for Dallas, 2 for Anaheim. 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

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/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
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
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 6 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 5 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Jan

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

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Jan

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 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

13 Jan 20264 · DAL 1–3 ANA
19 Dec 202511 · DAL 8–3 ANA
6 Nov 202512 · ANA 7–5 DAL
18 Mar 20257 · ANA 3–4 DAL
4 Feb 20253 · DAL 1–2 ANA

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
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51

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 suggest6.3Goals 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

7 on the injury lists

Dallas · injuries

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

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov
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.

1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

Injury report
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft

Updated after every final