{"id":481483,"date":"2026-01-07T09:58:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=481483"},"modified":"2026-01-07T09:58:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:58:39","slug":"nhl-predictions-jan-7-calgary-flames-vs-montreal-canadiens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/07\/nhl-predictions-jan-7-calgary-flames-vs-montreal-canadiens\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Jan 7 Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens"},"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 Calgary Flames taking on the Montreal Canadiens. 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 Washington Capitals<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"XvFTqDXWSDNo1jxcSEuCvQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2244990913\" 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:'XvFTqDXWSDNo1jxcSEuCvQ',sig:'U4zOSAtfZLzjX9uAGVhVJ6-TsLYEOMr2o7s4pJhJ0KE=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2244990913',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Head-to-Head: Stars 1-0 Capitals<\/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+; TNT; TruTV; HBO Max<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/gamecenter\/dal-vs-wsh\/2026\/01\/07\/2025020677\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">We open up<\/a> NHL predictions with a matchup between the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/06\/nhl-predictions-jan-6-dallas-stars-vs-carolina-hurricanes\/\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Stars<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/01\/new-years-day-nhl-predictions-washington-capitals-ottawa-senators\/\" target=\"_self\">Washington Capitals.<\/a> Dallas will likely turn to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/desmica01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Casey DeSmith<\/a> after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/o\/oettija01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Oettinger<\/a> got the call the night before. The Stars are 4-3-3 in their previous 10 games, which includes losses in six consecutive games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/rantami01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikko Rantanen<\/a> leads the team in assists (42) and points (59) so far this season.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomplo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Logan Thompson<\/a> is the probable starter for the Capitals, who are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. However, Washington is coming off a victory against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/06\/nhl-predictions-anaheim-ducks-philadelphia-flyers-january-6th\/\" target=\"_self\">Anaheim Ducks<\/a> in its last outing. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wilsoto01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Wilson<\/a> leads the team in goals (22) and points (42) so far this campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams are talented. However, the Stars are really struggling at this point.<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: Capitals win 4-2.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens<\/h3>\n<h3>Head-to-Head: Flames 0-1 Canadiens<\/h3>\n<p>How to Watch:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong> ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canada TV:<\/strong> Sportsnet; RDS<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>Our second and featured game of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/30\/the-calgary-flames-have-their-crease-on-lockdown-until-at-least-2028\/\" target=\"_self\">Calgary Flames<\/a> visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/23\/montreal-canadiens-2025-christmas-wishlist\/\" target=\"_self\">Montreal Canadiens<\/a> in an all-Canada affair. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wolfdu01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dustin Wolf<\/a> is the likely starter for the Flames, who are 6-4 in their last 10 games. However, Calgary has dropped its last two games entering this matchup. This game could see the debut of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/parekza01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zayne Parekh<\/a> in a Flames jersey. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kadrina01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nazem Kadri<\/a> leads the team in assists (24) and points (32) so far.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/fowleja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob Fowler<\/a> is the projected starter for the Canadiens, who are 6-2-2 in the last 10 and coming off a victory over the Stars on Monday night. Montreal averages 3.31 goals scored per game, which is good enough for seventh in the league. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/caufico01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cole Caufield<\/a> leads the team in goals with 20 so far this season.<\/p>\n<p>The Flames have been playing well. However, the Habs should record the victory.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Canadiens win 5-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"UChE8xfcQkdFWLaoFGyt7Q\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2247226570\" 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:'UChE8xfcQkdFWLaoFGyt7Q',sig:'R2cf6OZSaEXAzD5Wh_EX5ORAx7oyw-LML44Z3lfigrk=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2247226570',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings<\/h3>\n<h3>Head-to-Head: Sharks 1-1 Kings<\/h3>\n<p>How to Watch:<\/p>\n<p><strong>US TV:<\/strong> NBC Sports California; Fan Duel Sports West; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canada TV:<\/strong> Sportsnet<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong> 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>Our final game of NHL predictions is a Pacific Division matchup between the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/04\/san-jose-sharks-contract-extension-forward-news-three-years\/\" target=\"_self\">San Jose Sharks<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/27\/nhl-predictions-december-27th-anaheim-ducks-los-angeles-kings\/\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Kings.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nedelal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Nedeljkovic<\/a> is the expected starter for the Sharks, who are 6-4 in the previous 10 games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/celebma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Macklin Celebrini<\/a> leads the team in goals (23), assists (41) and points (64) for San Jose.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuempda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darcy Kuemper<\/a> is the probable starter for the Kings, who are 4-6 in the last 10 games. However, Los Angeles is off sweeping a back-to-back set against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/02\/nhl-predictions-jan-2-minnesota-wild-vs-anaheim-ducks\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Wild<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kempead01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adrian Kempe<\/a> is tied for first on the team in goals with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/fialake01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Fiala<\/a>, who both have 15 this campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams are jockeying for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot. However, the Sharks get the win and take the season series.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Sharks win 4-3.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n<p>We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. Let&#8217;s go back to our featured game for our preferred props. The over\/under for the Flames versus the Canadiens is 6.5, and we like the over in this one.<\/p>\n<p>As for individual props, we think Parekh gets a point in his debut for Calgary. On the Montreal side of things, take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/slafkju01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-07_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Juraj Slafkovsky<\/a> to get an anytime goal.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/i><\/b><\/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 Calgary Flames taking on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":476698,"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":[22,4547,7,4548,4524],"tags":[6015,6124,6028,6016,6060,6239],"class_list":["post-481483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flames","category-hockey","category-canadiens","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-calgary-flames-predictions","tag-dallas-stars-predictions","tag-los-angeles-kings-predictions","tag-montreal-canadiens-predictions","tag-san-jose-sharks-predictions","tag-washington-capitals-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481483","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=481483"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":481489,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481483\/revisions\/481489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}