The Montreal Canadiens (21-18-4) travel to face off against the Dallas Stars (28-14-1) on Thursday, January 16th. This game will be played at American Airlines Center in Dallas and televised on ESPN+. Both the Canadiens and Stars will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 ET.

Canadiens vs Stars

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Montreal fell to 21-18-4 after a 3-1 road loss to the Penguins. The Canadiens were underdogs on the puck line, and the total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score reached only 4.

The Canadiens didn’t score until the third period, when Christian Dvorak found the net at 14:28. Pittsburgh added an empty-net goal at 19:15 to seal the win.

The Dallas Stars Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Stars fell to 28-14-1 with a 4-2 loss to the Panthers. Dallas trailed 2-0 before tying it up, but Florida scored twice in the third period to seal the win.

The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined score of 6 fell just short. Dallas, the underdog on the puck line, failed to cover. Both of their goals came in the second period.

Montreal Offense Breakdown

Montreal struggled offensively in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, managing just one goal, which came from Christian Dvorak in the third period. Dvorak’s goal was his first of the season, while Emil Heineman picked up his first assist, and Juraj Slafkovsky added his seventh assist.

The Canadiens fired 26 shots on goal but were hindered by 20 giveaways. They were unable to capitalize on any power play opportunities and were held scoreless until the 5:32 mark of the third period.

Stars Offense Breakdown

Dallas took 25 shots on goal but only found the net twice in their 4-2 loss to the Panthers. Evgenii Dadonov scored his second goal of the season, while Matt Duchene added his seventh. Duchene also picked up his eighth assist on Dadonov’s power-play goal.

The Stars were held scoreless in the first period before scoring twice in the second. Miro Heiskanen recorded his fourth assist of the season, and Thomas Harley added his fifth.

Montreal Team Defense

Montreal’s defense gave up the first two goals, one at 15:57 in the first period and another at 18:40 in the second. They also allowed an empty-netter with 45 seconds left in the third. Goalie Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage. Defensively, the Canadiens had 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

Dallas Team Defense

On the defensive side, the Stars allowed the Panthers to score first, with a goal at 5:15 in the first period and another at 8:47 in the second. After Dallas tied the game at 2-2, Florida added two more, including an empty-netter with 1:00 left in the third. Casey DeSmith made 21 saves with a save percentage of 87.5%.

Canadiens vs Stars Trends

• Through their last ten road contests, the Canadiens offense has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing an average of 2. Montreal posted an overall record of 7-3 while going 8-2 ATS.
• Through their last five home games, Dallas has an puck line record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 3-2 while averaging 2 goals per game.
• In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Stars have a straight up record of 1-4 and an puck line mark of 1-4.
• In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Canadiens have a straight up record of 8-2 and an puck line mark of 4-6.

Canadiens vs Stars Prediction

For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Canadiens to pick up on a win over the Stars and the road. With the moneyline sitting at +196, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Canadiens straight-up.

Our projections have the Canadiens pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Canadiens, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 5.5 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.