Montreal Canadiens (5-3-2) at Winnipeg Jets (4-3-3)
Venue: Princess Auto Stadium
Date: Tonight – Sunday, October 25
Time: 6:00 pm CST
How To Watch: Sportsnet, TVA Sports, TNT and truTV
Radio: 680 CJOB

Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster

Montreal Canadiens News & Notes:

A legendary franchise stepping onto classic Canadian ice, but carrying a heavy ledger of early-season adversity.

When the Montreal Canadiens skate out under the open sky tonight at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, the pristine outdoor elements will offer a welcome breath of fresh air. Martin St. Louis’ squad arrives in Manitoba looking to rewrite the narrative of their bumpy start to the campaign and make a major statement on a national stage.

If you want to talk about true test-of-character moments, look no further than the medical updates filtering out of the Bell Centre. The Habs are currently navigating a brutal storm, headlined by the devastating loss of captain Nick Suzuki.

, who is shelved for the next 2 to 4 weeks with a stubborn upper-body injury. Compounding that blow, the fan base will have to wait for an outdoor glimpse of rookie phenom Ivan Demidov, as the highly touted youngster remains out long-term with a lower-body injury.

Yet, inside the travelling locker room, the motto is clear: next man up. And on Friday night in Chicago, that man was Jake Evans. Evans put the team on his back in a heroic three-point performance (2G, 1A), completely neutralizing the Blackhawks’ youthful surge and steering Montreal to a gritty victory.

The blue line is also sporting a fascinating new look for this evening’s outdoor spectacle. With Mike Matheson finally back in the mix after a brief layoff on the shelf, St. Louis has spent the weekend aggressively reshaping his pairings to maximize their transitional speed.

Elite young puck-mover Lane Hutson, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, has been flipped to his off-side on the right to skate directly with Matheson, constructing a potentially lethal top pairing. Meanwhile, powerhouse acquisition Noah Dobson will anchor the second tier, logging shutdown minutes next to the physical Arber Xhekaj.

National television coverage kicks off at 6:00 PM CT on Sportsnet and TVA Sports across Canada, and TNT south of the border.

Winnipeg Jets News & Notes:

Open air, crisp October wind, and a franchise completely transformed overnight.

When the Winnipeg Jets skate out under the open sky tonight at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, they won’t just be trying to solve a pesky three-game losing streak against the Montreal Canadiens. They will be taking the first steps into a brand-new era of Jets hockey.

In a true franchise-altering blockbuster dropped just ahead of this weekend’s marquee spectacle, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff finally brought an end to the dark cloud that has hung over this team since September. Star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been shipped to the New Jersey Devils, ending a bitter, months-long contract holdout and team suspension. In return, Winnipeg gets a massive haul: top-six forward Dawson Mercer, veteran center Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, and two future draft selections.

Inside the dressing room, the mood yesterday during the outdoor family skate was one of visible relief. The distraction is gone, the roster is set, and the focus has firmly shifted back to the ice where Scott Arniel’s squad desperately needs two points.

Winnipeg enters tonight’s outdoor showcase carrying a 4-3-2 record, looking to completely flush a frustrating 3-2 road loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday. The secondary scoring has entirely dried up during this skid, but the arrival of Mercer and Bjugstad gives Arniel two versatile weapons to immediately insert into a top-heavy forward rotation.

Between the pipes, the net now belongs entirely to Stuart Skinner. With Hellebuyck out of the picture, Skinner gets the undisputed nod in tonight’s outdoor crease. He was brilliant in a 35-save effort against Dallas, and the coaching staff is counting on him to anchor the defensive zone while top blueliner Josh Morrissey continues to heal up on Injured Reserve. Shorthanded on the back end, the Jets will lean heavily on Neal Pionk to eat top-pairing minutes and spark the transition game.

Up front, the youth movement remains in overdrive. High-profile rookies Elias Salomonsson and Brad Lambert are slated to skate under the lights tonight, adding some high speed to an outdoor sheet that can often favour a heavy, north-south game.

Puck drop is officially scheduled for 6:00 PM CT. If you aren’t among the capacity crowd packing the stadium, you can catch the national broadcast on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada, or TNT and truTV south of the border.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lines

Caufild – Kapanen – Slafkovsky
Kreider – Newhook – Anderson
Bolduc – Danault – Texier
Dach – Evans – Beck

Hutson – Matheson
Guhle – Carrier
Xhekaj – Dobson

Fowler
Dobes

Winnipeg Jets Projected Lines

Connor – Scheifele – Perfetti
Iafallo – Bjorck – Vilardi
Rosen – Lowry – Mercer
Koepke – Barron – Niederreiter

Ferraro – Salomonsson
Samberg – Pionk
Fleury – DeMelo

Skinner
Stevenson

Players To Watch:

Montreal Canadiens

Noah Dobson: Acquired to elevate the blue line’s standard, the 26-year-old brings a towering 6-foot-4 frame and excellent two-way stability to the outdoor rink. Following tactical adjustments by the coaching staff, Dobson is slated to stabilize the pairings tonight by locking down minutes next to Arber Xhekaj.

Lane Hutson: The reigning Calder Trophy winner continues to be pure appointment viewing every time he touches the puck. Head coach Martin St. Louis has put Hutson’s dynamic skating on display by shifting him to his off-side on the right to pair with a returning Mike Matheson.

Jake Evans: The gritty forward arrives in Winnipeg carrying all the momentum after putting on a clinic on Friday night in Chicago. Evans stepped up heroically in Suzuki’s absence, logging an explosive two-goal, three-point night to carry the Habs to a 4–1 victory.

Cole Caufield: With captain Nick Suzuki sidelined for the next 2 to 4 weeks with an upper-body injury, Caufield will carry a heavy scoring load. Skating on the top line alongside Oliver Kapanen, the dangerous sniper’s elite release will be the cornerstone of Montreal’s outdoor game plan.

Winnipeg Jets

Kyle Connor: Number 81 is no stranger to the outdoor elements, having played a key role in Winnipeg’s 2019 Heritage Classic victory. He’s been the lone consistent trigger-man on this homestand and remains the engine of the Jets’ attack.

Dawson Mercer: Talk about a literal trial by fire. The former Devil is expected to skip the traditional acclimation period and skate straight into a top-six role tonight. How quickly he builds chemistry with his new linemates will be the story of the first period.

Stuart Skinner: The crease is officially his, and the pressure starts right now. Skinner has been solid in relief during the early-season drama, but tonight marks his first official start as Winnipeg’s undisputed, lone number-one netminder under the national spotlight.

Elias Salomonsson: With Josh Morrissey out week-to-week on Injured Reserve, the 22-year-old Swedish rookie finds himself thrown directly into the outdoor spotlight. Arniel is leaning heavily on Salomonsson’s calm poise and mobility to beef up the top-four pairings, making tonight a massive measuring stick for the young blueliner on a big outdoor stage.

Adam Lowry: The captain’s heavy, north-south style is tailor-made for an outdoor rink where frozen pucks and choppy ice demand a gritty, simple game. Expect Lowry to log massive defensive-zone minutes tonight, anchoring the penalty kill and using his big frame to shut down Montreal’s speedy transition rush.

Next game

Montreal Canadiens – October 27 vs St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets – October 27 vs Florida Panthers