The Montreal Canadiens were playing in the Heritage Classic for the first time in over 15 seasons and the game certainly lived up to the outdoor series with a classic game between the Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets. It was a slow start as neither team could score in the first period. That changed in the second as the Canadiens scored not one but two goals.

That two-goal lead has been a challenge for the Canadiens this season, but not as of late as they would once again hold on for the win. The Jets certainly put pressure on them as they scored one goal in the third period. The Jets seemingly had a great chance to tie it up as they had a 6-on-4 for the final minutes after Josh Anderson was called for tripping, and they would pull their goalie.

However, Jacob Fowler made key saves that shut down any chance at a comeback and the Canadiens would win 2-1 on Sunday night. These are some of the takeaways from their win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Montreal Canadiens need to keep Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson together

For the second time in three games, the Canadiens went with the pair of Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson. It is a pairing that has worked well and was one of the big reasons they were able to get the win over the Jets.

Lane Hutson would open the scoring in this game in the second period after Noah Dobson set him up with a beautiful pass across the ice right in front of the crease.

De toute évidence, Laner est à l’aise sur les patinoires extérieures

Laner scoring on an ODR just makes sense#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/GOCZOwIcgw

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 26, 2026

These two were on the ice together for almost 15 minutes in this game and had a CF% of 74.29% with both on the ice. They also helped the Canadiens with nine scoring chances for compared to only five against, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Martin St. Louis might not be able to keep these two together the entire season but it should certainly be a priority as these two work so well together.

Jacob Fowler with another incredible performance

Jacob Fowler got the start in the Heritage Classic and put together another excellent start for the Montreal Canadiens in a game where they needed him to be almost perfect. The young goalie allowed only one goal on 34 shots, including stopping nine power-play shots, with a few of those in the closing minutes of the third period.

He is now 5-1 on the season and won his last five starts while giving up one or fewer goals in three of those games. The Canadiens only called him up after Samuel Montembeault suffered an injury in practice. However, at this point, there is no way they can send him back to Laval because he has surpassed Jakub Dobes on the depth chart and should be considered the starter.

Montreal Canadiens find a way to defend another two-goal lead in the third period

Two-goal leads, especially in the third period, have been a major issue for the Montreal Canadiens. They have seen those leads disappear in that final period of regulation and while they would win those games in overtime more times than not, it was a bad habit to have.

However, in the last two games, they have started to change that trend, as they have been able to hold onto those leads. On Friday night, they had a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Blackhawks and were able to extend it with an empty-net goal to win 4-1.

In this game, the Jets certainly had their chances and even scored to cut the lead to one with about five minutes left in the period. The Canadiens, though, were able to do enough, with a solid penalty kill and timely saves by Jacob Fowler, to hold on for the regulation win.

The Canadiens will continue this road trip with a game on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.

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