Game sheets · NHL
MONTREAL CANADIENS @ WINNIPEG JETS
Sunday, Oct 25, 2026 · 7:00 PM EDT · Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, MB · TV: TNT, truTV
NHL Regular Season · Lineups projected
Game preview
Tonight is the first meeting of the season between Montreal (5-3-2) and Winnipeg (4-3-3). Winnipeg has lost four of its last five, each by one goal, though its most recent game was a 5-2 win over Minnesota, while Montreal is 3-2 over its last five, most recently a 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo. Montreal is without Nick Suzuki, its points leader with 12 in 9 games, who is out with an upper-body injury with an estimated return of Nov 18, and Ivan Demidov is also on injured reserve. The Jets are missing Josh Morrissey and Vladislav Namestnikov, and Stuart Skinner (3-1-3, .912) is the expected starter. Kyle Connor leads Winnipeg with 9 goals and 12 points, and Cole Caufield has 6 goals for the Canadiens. Jacob Fowler (4-1-0, 1.94 GAA) is Montreal's confirmed probable starter.
- Winnipeg is 2-2-1 at home and Montreal is 2-1-1 on the road.
- Montreal's last five include a 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo, a 4-3 overtime win over Buffalo and a 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose.
- Nick Suzuki (C) is out with an upper-body injury, estimated return Nov 18, and Montreal's Lane Hutson has 9 points in 10 games.
Players to watch
- MTLCole Caufield: Six goals and 8 points in 10 games, with 36 shots on goal, the most goals on the Canadiens.
- MTLLane Hutson: Nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 10 games, the most points by a Montreal defenceman.
- MTLJacob Fowler: Four wins, 1.94 GAA and .910 save percentage in five starts, confirmed probable starter.
- WPGKyle Connor: Nine goals and 12 points in 10 games, the Jets lead in both categories.
- WPGCole Perfetti: Six goals and 9 points in 10 games.
- WPGStuart Skinner: Three wins, 2.67 GAA and .912 save percentage in seven games, expected starter.
MONTREAL CANADIENS(5-3-2 · 6th in Atlantic Division)
Forwards
| Line | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | 20 | Juraj Slafkovsky | LW | SVK | 22 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| L1 | 91 | Oliver Kapanen | C | SWE | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| L1 | 13 | Cole Caufield | RW | USA | 25 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8 | +3 |
| L2 | 85 | Alexandre Texier | LW | FRA | 27 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -2 |
| L2 | 24 | Phillip Danault | C | CAN | 33 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +5 |
| L2 | 76 | Zack Bolduc | RW | CAN | 23 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +2 |
| L3 | 22 | Chris Kreider | LW | USA | 35 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| L3 | 15 | Alex Newhook | C | CAN | 25 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -5 |
| L3 | 17 | Josh Anderson | RW | CAN | 32 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +2 |
| L4 | 77 | Kirby Dach | C | CAN | 25 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 |
| L4 | 71 | Jake Evans | C | CAN | 30 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -1 |
| L4 | 62 | Owen Beck | C | CAN | 22 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
Lines projected per NHL.com (Oct 25, 2026); may change. Nick Suzuki (out) not listed.
Defence
| Pair | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 48 | Lane Hutson | D | USA | 22 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | +3 |
| D1 | 53 | Noah Dobson | D | CAN | 26 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 |
| D2 | 8 | Mike Matheson | D | CAN | 32 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 |
| D2 | 45 | Alexandre Carrier | D | CAN | 30 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +6 |
| Alt | 21 | Kaiden Guhle | D | CAN | 24 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | +1 |
Pairs projected per NHL.com (Oct 25, 2026). Alt pair per Inside the Rink (Oct 25, 2026), which lists different pairings; Florian Xhekaj is excluded (injured reserve per ESPN).
Goalies
| # | Goalie | Ctry | Age | GP | W-L-OT | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Jacob Fowler* | USA | 21 | 5 | 4-1-0 | 1.94 | .910 |
| 75 | Jakub Dobes | CZE | 25 | 5 | 1-2-2 | 4.47 | .847 |
* Expected starter per ESPN probable; not confirmed by the team.
Last five
| Result | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| W | 4-3 SO | vs BUF |
| L | 5-4 | @ WSH |
| W | 4-3 OT | vs BUF |
| L | 4-3 OT | vs SJ |
| W | 4-1 | @ CHI |
Most recent first, per ESPN.
WINNIPEG JETS(4-3-3 · 5th in Central Division)
Forwards
| Line | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | 81 | Kyle Connor | LW | USA | 29 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 12 | +3 |
| L1 | 55 | Mark Scheifele | C | CAN | 33 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | +3 |
| L1 | 91 | Cole Perfetti | C | CAN | 24 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| L2 | 9 | Alex Iafallo | LW | USA | 32 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | +2 |
| L2 | 61 | Viggo Bjorck | C | SWE | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| L2 | 13 | Gabriel Vilardi | C | CAN | 27 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -4 |
| L3 | 27 | Isak Rosen | LW | SWE | 23 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| L3 | 17 | Adam Lowry | C | USA | 33 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| L3 | 91 | Dawson Mercer | RW | CAN | 24 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -2 |
| L4 | 45 | Cole Koepke | LW | USA | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 |
| L4 | 36 | Morgan Barron | C | CAN | 27 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| L4 | 62 | Nino Niederreiter | RW | SUI | 34 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
Lines projected per Yahoo Sports (undated); may change. Dawson Mercer's position listed as C on ESPN.
Defence
| Pair | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 54 | Dylan Samberg | D | USA | 27 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +2 |
| D1 | 4 | Neal Pionk | D | USA | 31 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -1 |
| D2 | 38 | Mario Ferraro | D | CAN | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D2 | — | Elias Salomonsson | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D3 | 24 | Haydn Fleury | D | CAN | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| D3 | 2 | Dylan DeMelo | D | CAN | 33 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Pairs projected per Yahoo Sports (undated). Salomonsson is not on ESPN's roster list; his season stats were not found.
Goalies
| # | Goalie | Ctry | Age | GP | W-L-OT | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Stuart Skinner* | CAN | 27 | 7 | 3-1-3 | 2.67 | .912 |
| 50 | Nico Daws | CAN | 25 | 4 | 2-2-0 | 2.78 | .874 |
| 33 | Clay Stevenson | CAN | 27 | 3 | 1-2-0 | 3.08 | .893 |
* Expected starter per Yahoo Sports; not confirmed by the team.
Last five
| Result | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| W | 5-2 | vs MIN |
| L | 4-3 OT | @ CHI |
| L | 3-2 | vs CAR |
| L | 2-1 | @ STL |
| L | 3-2 OT | @ DAL |
Most recent first, per ESPN.
Special teams
| Team | PP% | PK% | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTL | 12.5% | 81.0% | 3.20 | 3.50 |
| WPG | 22.2% | 80.8% | 2.60 | 2.90 |
Season to date; PP% and PK% per Fox Sports, GF/GP and GA/GP per ESPN game data.
Out
| Team | Player | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| WPG | Vladislav Namestnikov (C) | Injured Reserve | Undisclosed, return Nov 3 |
| WPG | Nick Bjugstad (C) | Injured Reserve | Pectoral surgery left, return Mar 11 |
| WPG | Josh Morrissey (D) | Injured Reserve | Wrist right, return Nov 5 |
| WPG | Garrett Brown (C) | Injured Reserve | Lower body, return Oct 30 |
| MTL | Nick Suzuki (C) | Out | Upper body, return Nov 18 |
| MTL | Sam Montembeault (G) | Injured Reserve | Lower body, return Oct 31 |
| MTL | Ivan Demidov (RW) | Injured Reserve | Lower body, return Oct 31 |
| MTL | Bryce Pickford (D) | Injured Reserve | Undisclosed, return Oct 31 |
| MTL | Lucas Condotta (LW) | Injured Reserve | Undisclosed, return Oct 31 |
Injury report per ESPN.
Standings · Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruins | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| 2 | Senators | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | Maple Leafs | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
| 4 | Lightning | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| 5 | Panthers | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 6 | Canadiens * | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| 7 | Red Wings | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 | Sabres | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
Per ESPN; * tonight's teams.
Standings · Central Division
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mammoth | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Wild | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| 3 | Stars | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 4 | Avalanche | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 5 | Jets * | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 6 | Blues | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| 7 | Predators | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 8 | Blackhawks | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
Per ESPN; * tonight's teams.
Team stats
| Stat | MTL | WPG |
|---|---|---|
| GAA | 3.50 | 2.90 |
| SA/G | 25.8 | 30.0 |
| PPGA | 8 | 5 |
| SHGA | 0 | 0 |
| GF/G | 3.20 | 2.60 |
| SF/G | 29.5 | 26.5 |
| PPG | 4 | 6 |
| SHG | 1 | 0 |
| PIM | 118 | 75 |
Season to date per ESPN.
Team leaders
| Team | Category | Player | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTL | Goals | Cole Caufield | 6 |
| MTL | Assists | Nick Suzuki | 7 |
| MTL | Points | Nick Suzuki | 12 |
| WPG | Goals | Kyle Connor | 9 |
| WPG | Assists | Mark Scheifele | 6 |
| WPG | Points | Kyle Connor | 12 |
Season to date per ESPN.
Odds
| Line |
|---|
| MTL -118, O/U 5.5 (DraftKings) |
Per ESPN.
Notes
- Lines are projections and may shift: Montreal per NHL.com (Oct 25, 2026), Winnipeg per Yahoo Sports (undated); Inside the Rink (Oct 25, 2026) lists different Montreal defence pairs.
- Florian Xhekaj is on ESPN's injury table as IR, so he is left out of the lineup; Mike Matheson's status is unresolved in sources and he is in the projected pairs.
- Stats are 2026-27 season to date per ESPN game data as of Oct 25, 2026; Elias Salomonsson is not on the ESPN roster list.
- Ctry = birth country: CAN Canada, USA United States, SWE Sweden, SVK Slovakia, FRA France, CZE Czechia, SUI Switzerland; IR-LT long-term injured reserve, IR-NR non-roster injured reserve, Alt = extra pair.
Sources
- ESPN – game data (Oct 25, 2026): https://www.espn.com/nhl/game/_/gameId/401891807
- NHL.com – MTL projected lineups (Oct 25, 2026): https://www.nhl.com/news/montreal-canadiens-winnipeg-jets-game-preview-october-25-2026
- Yahoo Sports – WPG line combinations (undated): https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/line-combinations-jets-vs-canadiens-175908114.html
- Inside the Rink – MTL line combinations (Oct 25, 2026): https://insidetherink.com/nhl-heritage-classic-preview-montreal-canadiens-at-winnipeg-jets-with-line-combinations-10-25-2026/
- Fox Sports – power play table (undated): https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets-team-summary-stats?category=powerplays&season=2026&seasonType=reg&sort=t_ppkillpct&sortOrder=desc
Game sheet generated