{"id":481373,"date":"2026-01-06T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T13:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=481373"},"modified":"2026-01-05T20:11:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T01:11:44","slug":"nhl-predictions-jan-6-dallas-stars-vs-carolina-hurricanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/06\/nhl-predictions-jan-6-dallas-stars-vs-carolina-hurricanes\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Jan 6 Dallas Stars vs Carolina Hurricanes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0<em>Last Word on Hockey<\/em> look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Dallas Stars taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. Don\u2019t forget to check out more <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/nhl-predictions\/\" target=\"_self\">NHL Predictions<\/a>, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<h2>NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n<h3>Dallas Stars vs Carolina Hurricanes<\/h3>\n<h3>Head-to-Head: Stars 1-0 Hurricanes<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong> Victory+; Fan Duel Sports South; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thescore.com\/nhl\/events\/31783\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">We open up<\/a> NHL predictions with our featured game between the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/04\/nhl-predictions-jan-4-montreal-canadiens-vs-dallas-stars\/\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Stars<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/03\/nhl-predictions-jan-3-colorado-avalanche-vs-carolina-hurricanes\/\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Hurricanes<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/o\/oettija01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Oettinger<\/a> is expected to get the start for Dallas. However, always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. The Stars are 4-3-3 in their previous 10 games, including five consecutive losses. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/rantami01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikko Rantanen<\/a> is first on the team in assists (41) and points (57). However, Olympic snub <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/roberja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Robertson<\/a> is first in goals with 26.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bussibr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Bussi<\/a> is the probable starter for the Hurricanes, who are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. However, Carolina did get a victory over the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/13\/nhl-predictions-december-13th-anaheim-ducks-vs-new-jersey-devils\/\" target=\"_self\"> New Jersey Devils<\/a> in their last time out. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=ahose01,ahose02&amp;search=Sebastian+Aho&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sebastian Aho<\/a> is first in assists (25) and points (42) so far this campaign. The Hurricanes lost the first meeting against the Stars by a 3-2 score.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas is a solid team, but has struggled in its last few games. Carolina should get the victory.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Hurricanes win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"9wScgd-iTcFQyowaLE5GWQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2209641130\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'9wScgd-iTcFQyowaLE5GWQ',sig:'eJ4y7UmjW74RPPF4MndhCnUDxk0A0YqRaVPccjTMQNk=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2209641130',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Vegas Golden Knights vs Winnipeg Jets<\/h3>\n<h3>2024-25 Season Series: Golden Knights 2-1 Jets<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong> Scripps Vegas; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canada TV:<\/strong> TSN3<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>Our second game of NHL predictions is the first meeting of the season between the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/11\/nhl-predictions-dec-11-vegas-golden-knights-vs-philadelphia-flyers\/\" target=\"_self\"> Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/04\/the-department-of-player-safety-decides-on-jets-senators-incident\/\" target=\"_self\">Winnipeg Jets.<\/a> Vegas is likely to give <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hartca01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carter Hart<\/a> the start in this game. The Golden Knights are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games, including losses in eight of their last nine games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/e\/eicheja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jack Eichel<\/a> returned to the lineup recently, and the Knights are hoping he can pick up where he left off before he was injured.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/helleco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> is the expected starter for the Jets, who have dropped their last nine consecutive games. It&#8217;s been a struggle for Winnipeg, which has only gotten points in four of its last 10 games. The Jets have struggled to score recently, which has fed into their woes. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/scheima01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Scheifele<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/connoky01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Connor<\/a> are tied for the team&#8217;s lead in points with 48.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams are scuffling after having lofty preseason expectations. However, Winnipeg finally breaks through in this game.<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: Jets win 3-2.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"RBSN6RC3TJtXpq_Cn-SFWw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2185150354\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'RBSN6RC3TJtXpq_Cn-SFWw',sig:'d6WNNmQiSlUxO7IvmZ8cK5boawjSCk-63URWGiqOTKA=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2185150354',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Nashville Predators vs Edmonton Oilers<\/h3>\n<h3>2024-25 Season Series: Predators 0-3 Oilers<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong> Fan Duel Sports South; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canada TV:<\/strong> SN West; TVA Sports<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>Our third and final game of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/29\/nhl-predictions-nashville-predators-vs-utah-mammoth\/\" target=\"_self\">Nashville Predators<\/a> squaring off with the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/03\/nhl-predictions-philadelphia-flyers-edmonton-oilers-january-3rd\/\" target=\"_self\"> Edmonton Oilers<\/a> for the first time this campaign. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/sarosju01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Juuse Saros<\/a> is the probable starter for Nashville, which is 7-3 in its last 10 games. The Predators have taken victories in three of their previous five games. Possible trade target <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/o\/oreilry01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ryan O&#8217;Reilly<\/a> leads the team in assists (24) and points (35).<\/p>\n<p>Former Nashville goalie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/i\/ingraco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Ingram<\/a> is the projected starter for Edmonton. It&#8217;s been a struggle for consistency for the Oilers, who are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The injury to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/jarrytr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tristan Jarry<\/a> has blunted any momentum that Edmonton had. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcdavco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor McDavid<\/a> continues to lead the way in goals (25), assists (47), and points (72) for the Oilers this season.<\/p>\n<p>Nashville has been better as of late. However, Edmonton should get victory at home.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Oilers win 5-3.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n<p>We close out NHL predictions with our prop bets of the night. Let&#8217;s go back to our featured game for our preferred props. The over\/under for the Stars versus the Hurricanes is 5.5, and we like the under in this game.<\/p>\n<p>As for individual props, go with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnswy01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wyatt Johnston<\/a> to get a goal at any point in this game for Dallas. On the Carolina side of things, take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/stanklo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Logan Stankoven<\/a> for record a power-play point.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: James Guillory-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Dallas Stars taking on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":461184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4524,10,29,4547,4548],"tags":[6010,6124,6017,6011,6019,6110],"class_list":["post-481373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-predictions","category-hurricanes","category-stars","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-carolina-hurricanes-predictions","tag-dallas-stars-predictions","tag-edmonton-oilers-predictions","tag-nashville-predators-predictions","tag-vegas-golden-knights-predictions","tag-winnipeg-jets-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481373"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":481376,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481373\/revisions\/481376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}