The Montreal Canadiens (22-13-6) are set to face the Dallas Stars (25-9-7), with the puck drop scheduled for 2 pm ET.
This will be the second leg of back-to-back games including travel, not to mention the final game of Montreal’s extended road trip, which has lasted since December 21. To be fair, the Christmas break makes it seem longer than it was, but the fact remains that they haven’t played at the Bell Centre in roughly two weeks.
Montreal failed to launch on Saturday afternoon versus the St. Louis Blues, resulting in a frustrating 2-0 shutout loss. If they hope to flip the script on Sunday, they’ll have to provide a better effort, given the Stars are a better team.
Not only are the Stars well rested, they’re one of the best teams in the league, trailing only the dominant Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the Western Conference standings.
With that in mind, they are on a two-game losing streak, and Montreal tends to play up (or down) to their opponents, which means there’s a good chance we’ll see a much more entertaining game on Sunday afternoon.
The game will feature two of the best American players in the NHL, Cole Caufield and Jason Robertson, both of whom were snubbed from Team USA’s Olympic roster.
Lineup Changes, Starting Goalie
Seeing as Jacob Fowler started the last game, Montreal’s goalie rotation would suggest that it’s veteran Samuel Montembeault’s turn to guard the net. Montembeault has struggled mightily this season, and has produced numbers that are well below average, and significantly worse than the other two goalies in the organization.
Fowler is sporting a .903 save percentage, while fellow rookie Jakub Dobes sits at .889. Montembeault, on the other hand, currently has a .863 save percentage, one of the worst results among all NHL goaltenders this season.
Eventually, the Canadiens will have to put an end to their three-goalie rotation, as it’s robbing every goalie of precious playing time, and throwing a monkey wrench into the development plans for both Fowler and Dobes.
If Montembeault can find his rhythm, the Habs will be in a much healthier situation, but at this point in the season they’re running out of time to give him an endless stream of opportunities.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Alex Texier
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc -Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Samuel Blais – Joe Veleno – Owen Beck
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Alex Carrier
Jayden Struble – Arber Xhekaj
Samuel Montembeault*
Dallas Stars Projected Lineup
Sam Steel – Wyatt Johnston – Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Mavrik Bourque
Jamie Benn – Matt Duchene – Justin Hryckowian
Oskar Back – Radek Faksa – Colin Blackwell
Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley – Nils Lundqvist
Ilya Lyubushkin – Alexander Petrovic
Jake Oettinger
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Stars
The Montreal Canadiens versus Dallas Stars, Sunday, January 4, 2026, will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
