The Montreal Canadiens face the Dallas Stars with both teams heading in opposite directions to start the season. The Canadiens have a 15-15-3 record and have won only three of the last 10 games while the Stars have a 19-9-6 record and are in first place in the Central Division. The Canadiens are looking to climb out of the bottom of their division while the Stars look to remain one of the best teams in the Western Conference and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Canadiens are having a rough season with their offense struggling and scoring only 2.70 goals per game. Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Kirby Dach have scored 39 goals and 41 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only five skaters have scored seven goals or more while only six skaters have added eight assists or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.
The offense has struggled but the defense has let the Canadiens down, allowing 3.45 goals per game with 17 goals in the last five games. Johnathan Kovacevic, Jordan Harris, and Arber Xhekaj have combined for 3.5 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. In addition, goaltender Jake Allen has struggled in the net with a .900 save percentage and a 3.27 goals-against average on 717 shots.