The Ottawa Senators closed out 2024 with an impressive 3-1 win against the Minnesota Wild this past Sunday. The win marked the first time that the Senators won in Minnesota since March 31, 2016.
Now, 2025 has arrived. The first game of 2025 against the Dallas Stars offers as another tough road game against a Central Division opponent, but it's another challenge the Senators must face.
Senators begin 2025 against Stars in Dallas
The Senators travel to American Airlines Center to take on the Stars with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Tonight is the start of another back-to-back, and the first meeting this season between the Senators and Stars.
Sunday marked an impressive road win for the Senators in Minnesota. Leevi Merilainen was able to out-duel Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson, one of the best goaltenders in the NHL by making 30 saves to earn his second career NHL win. The Wild put great pressure on Merilainen in the third period, but he remained cool and made 15 saves in the period.
Ridly Greig scored a goal in the win to record goals in back-to-back games. Josh Norris scored the game-winning goal on the powerplay with 7:12 remaining in regulation. Claude Giroux's empty-net goal was his 1,090th career point.
As for the Stars, they come into tonight's game with a 22-13-1 record. After losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers in regulation, the Stars went 3-0-1 in their final four games of 2024 with the most recent game being a 4-2 win at home against the Buffalo Sabres on New Year's Eve.
Ex-Senator Matt Duchene leads the Stars with 33 points and is tied for the most assists on the team with 19. Roope Hintz leads the Stars with 16 goals. Ex-Senator Evegnii Dadonov has been a good surprise this season for the Stars with recording 10 goals.
Although the Stars have made the playoffs every year since 2022, the Senators have fared well against them. Over the past six meetings against the Stars, the Senators have won four of them. Despite the Senators losing the past two games in Dallas, both losses have come by one goal.