Dallas Stars vs Montreal Canadiens Preview: 5-game streak jumps off the page — our tips

Five straight wins for the Dallas Stars jumps off the page as they prepare to host the Montreal Canadiens at American Airlines Center this Friday, 30 Oct at 11:00 am AEDT.

Dallas has been stellar across their 7-3-1 opening to the season, backing up their offensive quality with a stingy 1.73 goals against per game average and a dominant 92.31% penalty kill rate.

Montreal arrives in Texas sitting on a 6-3-2 record after claiming a 2-1 road victory against the Winnipeg Jets in their last start on Mon, 26 Oct. However, knocking off a flying Stars team on their home ice is a massive step up in intensity.

Who Will Win? Stars Defense and Form Edge It

The numbers say Dallas is firing on all cylinders. Over their last five overall outings, the Stars have averaged 3.8 goals for and conceded just 1.8 goals against, putting together consecutive wins against Colorado, Chicago, Boston, Winnipeg, and most recently a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Mon, 26 Oct.

A major matchup edge sits in defensive efficiency. Dallas allows just 1.73 goals against per game this season compared to Montreal's 3.27. While Montreal boasts top-line punch in Nick Suzuki (5G, 7A) and Cole Caufield (6G, 4A), their 0.877 team save percentage faces a huge test against a Dallas attack averaging 4 goals for per game across their past three home games.

Dallas has serious offensive firepower of their own, led by Mikko Rantanen (6G, 8A), Jason Robertson (5G, 8A), and Roope Hintz (5G, 5A). Combine that scoring depth with a 53.9% Corsi rating and an elite special teams unit, and the home side gets a big tick in almost every key metric.

For punters searching for quality nhl picks, the Head to Head market places Dallas Stars at 1.70 with the Montreal Canadiens listed at 2.15. With Dallas holding a 3-0 record sample at home while producing a +1.7 goal average winning margin in those games, taking the hosts rates a real chance to deliver.