Gameday: Stars back home for rematch vs Habs

The Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens are set to clash again on Thursday night in Dallas, just days after an intense showdown in Montreal where both teams pushed each other to the limit.

The Stars edged out a 2-1 victory in a shootout against the Canadiens on Saturday, a hard-fought game that was close from the start. Jason Robertson scored the shootout winner while goalie Jake Oettinger made 30 saves and Jamie Benn scored in regulation.

Now, the Stars turn their attention to Thursday’s rematch. With both squads riding momentum (Montreal has won 10 of their last 13 games), expect another battle at the AAC.

How to watch: Puck drop at 7 p.m. from the AAC on Victory+. and on The Ticket.

Stars try to keep rolling

Dallas has been on a tear since late December, winning nine of their last 11 games and earning points in 10 of them. The Stars ended a five-game East Coast trip with a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Logan Stankoven snapped his goal drought by netting a pair and adding an assist.

Matt Duchene contributed a goal and two assists against Toronto, while Mavrik Bourque also found the back of the net for Dallas, which rebounded with a win after seeing its seven-game streak snapped by Ottawa on Sunday. Oettinger made 27 saves and took the win, his 22^nd of the season (second best in the NHL.)

Duchene’s goal was pure magic and wizardry:

You’re gonna want to see this angle of @Matt9Duchene‘s goal last night. Trust us. pic.twitter.com/W88Ad7Fav9

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 15, 2025

Matchup History

The Stars have fared well against the Canadians in recent years, winning seven of the last 10 meetings, including Saturday’s shootout victory. The two teams meet only twice per season, but the Star usually manage to score at a decent clip, averaging more than three goals per game in the last 10.

Dallas Stars Lineup

Jason Robertson (21) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Jamie Benn (14) – Matt Duchene (95) – Logan Stankoven (11)
Sam Steel (18) – Mavrik Bourque (22) – Matej Blumel (10)
Justin Hryckowian – Oskar Bäck (10) – Colin Blackwell (15)

Miro Heiskanen (4) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundqvist (5)
Thomas Harley (55) – Matt Dumba (3)

Jake Oettinger (29)
Casey DeSmith (1)

Lineup notes: Roope Hintz (upper body) was unable to finish Tuesday’s game versus the Maple Leafs after suffering an injury in the first period off a collision with Auston Matthews. Hintz is considered day-to-day and will not play in Thursday’s game. Matej Blumel also exited Tuesday’s game but will play tonight. Justin Hryckowian was called up from AHL Texas and will get his third start of the season. Oettinger getting the nod in goal tonight.

Montreal Canadiens Lineup

Cole Caufield (13) – Nick Suzuki (14) – Juraj Slafkovsky (20)
Patrik Laine (92) – Kirby Dach (77) – Alex Newhook (15)
Josh Anderson (17) – Christian Dvorak (28) – Brendan Gallagher (11)
Michael Pezzetta (55) – Jake Evans (71) – Joel Armia (40)

Lane Hutson (48) – Mike Matheson (8)
Kaiden Guhle (21) – Alexandre Carrier (45)
Arber Xhekaj (72) – David Savard (58)

Sam Montembeault (35)
Jakub Dobes (75)

Players to Watch

Logan Stankoven

Stankoven broke through in style on Tuesday, scoring twice and adding an assist in the Stars’ 4-1 victory over Toronto. Ending a 25-game goal drought, Stankoven finally saw his luck change. With the weight lifted, the 21-year-old forward will look to carry that momentum into Thursday night’s matchup.

Lane Hudson

The Canadiens young defenseman is a game changer and has been on a point-per-game pace since late November. Hudson is on watch to break the Canadiens rookie scoring record of 71 points set by Mats Näslund (1982-83) and Kjell Dahlin (1985-86). He leads all rookies in points with 35.

Patrick Laine

Laine was the Canadiens’ best skater in Saturday’s game against the Stars, netting the team’s lone goal. He carried that momentum into Tuesday’s 5-3 victory over Utah, where the 26-year-old winger scored on three shots, added two penalty minutes, and posted a plus-3 rating. With his game clicking, the Stars will need to keep close tabs on him Thursday.