Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 22 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Montréal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets: game preview

Puck drop25 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenuePrincess Auto Stadium
All-time meetings44 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-four points apart last season

Montréal finished last season 6th in the league on 106 points. Winnipeg finished 26th on 82.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 45

Across 44 completed games, Montréal lead the head-to-head 26-13-5.

All-time record26-13-5Montréal's record in the series
Meetings played44This is number 45
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Montréal
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Feb 2026MTL 5 – WPG 1——MTL
3 Dec 2025WPG 2 – MTL 3 SO——MTL
28 Jan 2025WPG 4 – MTL 1——WPG
14 Dec 2024MTL 2 – WPG 4——WPG
18 Dec 2023MTL 3 – WPG 2 OT——MTL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateMontréalWinnipeg
3 Dec 202514-9-3 · 31 pts12th13-12-1 · 27 pts24th
4 Feb 202628-17-7 · 63 pts9th20-24-7 · 47 pts30th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 3 Dec 2025, Montréal were 12th in the league and Winnipeg 24th. By 4 Feb 2026 it was 9th and 30th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Winnipeg out-attempted Montréal 142 to 125

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Montréal Canadiens

125 att · 58 on goal · 7 G · 12.1%
Crease9 att · 1 G
Slot57 att · 6 G
Wing38 att · 0 G
Point13 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

Winnipeg Jets

142 att · 69 on goal · 3 G · 4.3%
Crease24 att · 0 G
Slot48 att · 2 G
Wing40 att · 1 G
Point24 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Montréal and Winnipeg are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

MontréalWinnipeg
2.61xG for per game3.37
3.61xG against per game3.37
42.0%xG share50.0%
+4.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.1
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.1

This season: 3 games for Montréal, 3 for Winnipeg. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Montréal

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2710.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Winnipeg

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.5% · 24th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 21st
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 79/177
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
81Kyle Connor33251.67
91Cole Perfetti32351.67
17Adam Lowry31231.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
44Josh Morrissey30331.00
2Dylan DeMelo31120.67
38Mario Ferraro31010.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 23 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 22 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Oct

Jakub Dobes.8573 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.0

No appearances against Winnipeg in the last meetings.

Winnipeg crease

WPG · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Oct

Stuart Skinner.9092 GP · 1-0-1 · GSAx +1.1
Clay Stevenson.9381 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Montréal in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Feb 20266 · MTL 5–1 WPG
3 Dec 20255 · WPG 2–3 MTL
28 Jan 20255 · WPG 4–1 MTL
14 Dec 20246 · MTL 2–4 WPG
18 Dec 20235 · MTL 3–2 WPG

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Montréal4.004.673.453.12
Winnipeg3.002.672.823.17

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Winnipeg · injuries

Connor HellebuyckSuspensionIRReturn17 Oct
Elias SalomonssonShoulderIRReturn15 Oct
Garrett BrownLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Walker DuehrLower BodyIRReturn17 Oct
27 Sep · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

10 Aug 2026 · WPG

Signed F Tyrel Bauer to a two-year contract.

15 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Cole Perfetti to a five-year contract.

13 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Viggo Björck to a three-year contract.

Injury report
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft
#8Viggo BjorckRound 1 · DjurgardenC
#71Samuel HrenakRound 3 · FargoG
#116Zach WootenRound 4 · Green BayLW
#135Alexandre TailleferRound 5 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final