WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE
It’s Molson FANatic Saturdays, and as of 4:30 p.m., fans can kick off festivities at a pregame party at Les Trois Monkeys on Peel St., located a few steps away from the Bell Centre. By participating in the pregame Trivia at Les Trois Monkeys, one winner will get to participate in Molson Lucky Shots to shoot three pucks from the ice at intermission for various prizes.
Next, former professional mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre will be signing autographs at the Monster Energy container in the Canadiens Plaza between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m..
Finally, Monster Energy’s guest, DJ Juice, will be spinning tunes in bowl for warmups. Fans can catch his set on Twitch for a chance to win a prize.
TEAM COMPARISONS
Captain Nick Suzuki played hero in OT for the fourth time this season and led the Canadiens to win No. 20 on Friday at Capital One Arena. Martin St-Louis' men are 8-2-0 in their last 10 outings and rank fifth in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Boston Bruins with three games in hand. The Habs are only one point out from the last Wild Card spot in the East. Over their last three wins – all of which were earned in extra time – the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge have rallied from deficits against the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks and Capitals. According to Sportsnet Stats, the Canadiens have improved drastically in points percentage (.818), goal differential (+17), goals per game (3.82), goals against per game (2.27), and save percentage (.909) since December 17.
Meanwhile, the Stars extended their win streak to six following a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday. During this time, Dallas has outscored their opponents 25-12. Peter DeBoer’s squad is positioned third in the Central Division and are second best in goals allowed in the NHL thanks to their goaltending duo of Jake Oettinger – who sits in the top 10 in goals against average (2.41) in the League – and (former Hab) Casey DeSmith. Oettinger will get the start against the Habs. Dallas is on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip that includes stops in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
Suzuki and Cole Caufield have been very productive for the Canadiens this past while. Since New Years Eve, the Canadiens captain has picked up at least one point per game (2G, 5A), while his linemate has been on a five-game goal streak (matching a career high). Both players have enjoyed success against the Stars in their careers, with Suzuki earning 11 points in eight games and Caufield notching four in five outings against Dallas.
Jason Robertson has collected 11 points (3G, 8A) so far during the Stars’ winning streak. The 25-year-old forward has 34 points in 40 games this season and recently exceeded 200 career NHL assists. Following a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign where Robertson only registered 12 points in 20 games, the 2017 second-rounder nearly doubled his production in his next 20 outings with 22 points.
BY THE NUMBERS: STARS-HABS
Here’s how the Stars and Habs match up by the numbers:
