Welcome to the latest edition of NHL Predictions. In this series, our team here at Last Word on Hockey breaks down head-to-head matchups and other key elements that may influence the outcome of each game each day. This edition of NHL Predictions looks at the Thursday, January 16, 2025 matchup between the Dallas Stars and the Montreal Canadiens.
NHL Predictions
Dallas Stars vs. Montreal Canadiens
Head-to-Head: Stars 1-0 Canadiens
Time: 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: Victory+; ESPN+; Sportsnet; TSN2; RDS
The Stars and the Canadiens square off for the second and final time this season at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday night. It is the second time the teams have faced each other in the last five days, with Dallas emerging victorious in overtime in Montreal on January 11.
Montreal’s Patrik Laine and Dallas’ Jamie Benn scored the only two goals of regulation during that meeting as the goaltenders combined to stop 65 shots in a defensive battle. However, Dallas forward Jason Robertson came through for the Stars in a shootout, delaying his approach before ripping a shot past the glove of Sam Montembeault.
It was Dallas’ seventh win in its last 10 meetings with Montreal since December 2018. During that span, Montreal has won three times at the American Airlines Center, and the teams have gone to overtime on four occasions.
What will the rematch have in store? NHL Predictions takes a look.
Dallas Stars Story
The Stars are returning home from a lengthy five-game, East Coast road trip. They entered the trip on a roll and pushed their winnig streak to seven games before losing to the Ottawa Senators on December 12. Dallas rebounded for an impressive 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday to finish 4-1-0 on the trip.
Rookie forward Logan Stankoven helped lead Dallas to four straight goals after falling behind 1-0 on a shot from Auston Matthews. Stankoven scored twice and had a three-point night to end a drought that lasted about two months. Fellow rookie Mavrik Bourque added his second goal in the last four games, while points-leader Matt Duchene netted his 17th of the season.
Bourque and Stankoven’s emergence comes as the Stars continue to deal with injuries among their top-six forwards. The team was already without Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment and lost Roope Hintz during the Toronto game. That makes the two rookies prime candidates to fill those spots as Dallas looks to keep rolling offensively.
The Stars have scored at least two goals in every game since December 20, including Robertson’s shootout winner in Montreal. Dallas enters this game in third place in the Central Division, one point behind the Minnesota Wild and six points behind division-leading Winnipeg.
Montreal Canadiens Story
Montreal is in sixth place in the Atlantic Division but only two points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Canadiens have won four of their first six games to start 2025, besting the likes of Colorado and Washington along the way.
Forwards Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have led the offensive effort in Montreal this season. Both have over 40 points on the year, and Caufield leads the team with 24 goals. He has 12 multi-point games this season, three of which have come in the last five games. Forward Kirby Dach has added to the mix with three goals this month, including a two-goal game in a win over the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday.
Still, Montreal will be shorthanded at forward as Emil Heineman misses this game after being involved in a car accident.
Montembeault was great against Dallas last week but has been prone to allowing many goals per game all year. He’s allowed two or more goals in 24 of his 34 starts, including three games this month during which he has given up at least three. Montreal is 2-1-1 in his starts in 2025 but 2-0 with a substantially lower goals-against average (albeit with a much smaller sample size) with Jakub Dobes in net.
NHL Prediction
Dallas’ depth is clearly being challenged with its injuries, but the Stars play well on home ice and have not been swept in North America this season (Florida did sweep them in two games in Finland in November). The first game between these teams was a tense and hard-fought battle. The home environment may have helped Montreal in the first game, and it can do the same for Dallas this time around.
NHL Predictions: Stars win 5-2
Prop Bets of the Night
Caufield seems like a no-brainer to extend his streak given his recent play and history against Dallas. He’s listed at +220 to score a goal at any time. Dallas forwards Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, and Evgenii Dadonov have great track records against Montreal. Duchene (+210) and Benn (+240) seem like the safer plays, but a resurgent year and a matchup against one of his former teams make Dadonov (+350) appealing.
Main photo by: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
The post NHL Predictions: Jan. 16 Dallas Stars vs Montreal Canadiens appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.