Montreal Canadiens vs Dallas Stars Prediction - 1/4/2026
Updated January 4, 2026
Updated January 4, 2026
The Sunday afternoon matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and the Dallas Stars has the potential to be the best game of the day on the ice. Dallas enters as a strong favorite after compiling a 25-9-7 record, but recent results indicate the Stars are anything but a sure thing. Montreal will try to upset the Stars on the road, but will need to overcome a rough scheduling spot to do so. Here, I break down this NHL matchup and provide you with my Canadiens vs Stars prediction for Sunday afternoon.
Pick: | Over 6.5 |
Confidence: | 3/5 |
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Montreal is expected to start Jakub Dobes, a young goaltender who has been solid in recent appearances and provies occasional high-impact performances. Dallas is likely to counter with Jake Oettinger, a more experienced netminder who has maintained respectable numbers in goals against and save percentage. Oettinger was named to the US Olympic team this week and will try to prove himself deserving of that selection over the next month or so.
Player | Prop |
|---|---|
Cole Caufield | Anytime Goal Scorer |
Jason Robertson | Anytime Goal Scorer |
Mikko Rantanen | Over 1.5 Points |
Score Projection: Canadiens 3 – Stars 4
Win Probability: Dallas Stars 68%, Montreal Canadiens 32%
My best bet for this contest on Sunday afternoon is for the Canadiens and Stars to combine to score over 6.5 goals. The Habs could struggle on defense on the second game of a back-to-back, while the Stars have been struggling on defense regardless of how much rest they've had. Expect an exciting and competitive matchup here, with the over cashing late.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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