Dallas Stars vs Vegas Golden Knights Picks and Predictions January 24th 2025

Golden Knights Look to Keep Momentum Rolling Against Stars

The Vegas Golden Knights snapped their longest losing streak of the season on Thursday, and they’ll try to carry that momentum into a tough matchup against the Dallas Stars on Friday. This battle between two of the Western Conference’s elite teams has all the makings of a thriller, with playoff history and divisional positioning on the line.

Vegas Snaps Skid, Eyes Another Statement Win

After dropping six of their previous seven games, the Golden Knights (30-16-6) put together a much-needed 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues to halt a four-game losing streak.

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Golden Knights’ Key Takeaways from Win Over St. Louis

• Fast Start: Mark Stone scored just 19 seconds into the game, setting the tone early.
• Hertl Stays Hot: Tomas Hertl extended his goal streak to four games, continuing to make a big impact.
• Balanced Scoring: Vegas got goals from four different players—Hertl, Stone, Victor Olofsson, and Pavel Dorofeyev.
• Full-Team Effort: Vegas led 3-1 after two periods, showing more composure and control than in recent losses.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy was pleased with the response, noting that his team “started on time” and played with urgency.

“Usually, we bounce back very quickly, and this has been our worst stretch of the season,” Olofsson admitted. “Still, there’s no stress. We know we’re a good team. You’re going to have some downs during the year, and we got back in the winning column tonight, and hopefully we can build on this one.”

Vegas now holds a one-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division, though Edmonton has games in hand. The Golden Knights will need another strong performance against a Dallas team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season.

Dallas and Vegas: A Budding Rivalry

The Stars and Golden Knights have developed a heated playoff rivalry, eliminating each other in consecutive postseasons:

• 2023: Vegas defeated Dallas in six games in the Western Conference Finals, en route to their first Stanley Cup title.
• 2024: Dallas got revenge by knocking Vegas out in the first round in seven games.

Now, the two teams meet for the second time this season, with Vegas winning the first (3-2 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas) behind 38 saves from Adin Hill.

“Really good rival, really good team,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “Not a lot of separation between the two teams over the last two years. They got us the first time around, we got them last year. It’s great hockey when we get together with them.”

Stars Look to Bounce Back After Carolina Loss

The Stars (31-15-6) enter Friday’s game coming off a 2-1 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. While they boast a strong 17-7-1 record at home, they’ll be eager to rebound against a team they know well.

Key Factors for Dallas

• Roope Hintz Returns: The Stars’ leading goal scorer (19 goals) was back in the lineup against Carolina after missing two games with an upper-body injury.
• Hintz Loves Facing Vegas: He has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past seven games against the Golden Knights.
• Physicality & Defense: Dallas will need to match Vegas’ physical play and defensive structure, something they struggled with in their December loss.

Hintz admitted he was relieved to be back on the ice:

“It’s nice to be back. It’s not that great to watch the games. You want to be out there and playing with your team.”

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Players to Watch

Vegas Golden Knights

• Tomas Hertl – Riding a four-game goal streak, he’s heating up at the right time.
• Mark Stone – The captain is leading by example, contributing a goal and an assist in Thursday’s win.
• Adin Hill – The goaltender was the difference in the December victory over Dallas, stopping 38 of 40 shots.

Dallas Stars

• Roope Hintz – Leads the Stars in goals and has been productive against Vegas.
• Jake Oettinger – The Dallas netminder is crucial to slowing down Vegas’ attack.
• Jason Robertson – The 2022-23 40-goal scorer hasn’t hit his usual numbers but remains a big threat.

Can Vegas Build Momentum, or Will Dallas Get Revenge?

Both teams have something to prove in this matchup:

• Vegas wants to prove it has rebounded from its rough stretch and is still a dominant force in the West.
• Dallas wants revenge for December’s loss and another shot at first place in the Central Division.

With high stakes and plenty of playoff history, this game is shaping up to be one of the best matchups of the weekend.