The Canadiens vs Jets Heritage Classic brings Montreal and Winnipeg outdoors to Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 25, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET. The Canadiens enter at 5-3-2 off a 4-1 win at Chicago, while the Jets are 4-3-3 and have dropped four straight. Both clubs sit near the bottom of crowded divisions, making the outdoor spectacle as much about form as it is about the setting.
Heritage Classic Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, MB
- TV/Streaming: TNT, truTV
- Stage: Heritage Classic
Canadiens Outlook
Montreal has won three of its last five games, including a 4-1 road win over Chicago on Saturday, a night before the Heritage Classic. The Canadiens lead this matchup in total offense, with 32 goals and 82 points through nine games, and their 53.7% faceoff rate is the stronger of the two sides by a wide margin over Winnipeg’s 45.0%.
The defense has been the softer spot. Montreal’s .875 team save percentage and 3.50 goals-against average trail Winnipeg’s marks, and the Canadiens will be without center Nick Suzuki, listed as out with an upper-body injury and not expected back until Nov. 18, according to the team’s injury report on Suzuki. Goaltender Sam Montembeault remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, with a return date listed as Oct. 25, pushing Jakub Dobes into the net as the probable starting goalie.
Winger Ivan Demidov (lower body) and forward Florian Xhekaj (lower body) are also on injured reserve, each projected to return around Oct. 31. Cole Caufield leads Montreal with six goals, while Lane Hutson paces the team with seven assists and nine points.
Jets Outlook
Winnipeg has lost four consecutive games, including three one-goal decisions, with two of those going to overtime. The Jets sit 4-3-3 and 11th in the Central Division standings. Despite the skid, Winnipeg’s defensive numbers remain stronger than Montreal’s, with a .906 team save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average compared to the Canadiens’ .875 and 3.50.
The Jets are banged up on both sides of the puck. Defenseman Josh Morrissey (right wrist) and centers Vladislav Namestnikov and Garrett Brown are on injured reserve, with Morrissey projected back Nov. 1 and the other two targeting Oct. 30. Center Nick Bjugstad is out long term following left pectoral surgery, with a projected return in March 2027.
Right wing Nino Niederreiter is listed day to day with an upper-body injury and carries a projected return date of Oct. 25, the day of the Heritage Classic. Stuart Skinner is the probable starting goalie for Winnipeg. Kyle Connor leads the Jets with nine goals and 12 points, and Mark Scheifele tops the team with six assists.
Key Matchup
Montreal’s faceoff advantage, 53.7% to Winnipeg’s 45.0%, could matter more than usual in outdoor conditions where puck management and offensive-zone time are harder to generate. The Canadiens also hold a shots-on-goal edge, 295 to 265, which lines up with their higher shooting percentage at 10.8% against Winnipeg’s 9.8%. The flip side is in net.
Skinner and the Jets defense have allowed fewer goals per game than Dobes and Montreal’s unit, and Winnipeg’s penalty kill has been tighter, with the Jets taking 75 penalty minutes as a team compared to Montreal’s 118. How Montreal’s faceoff and shot-volume edges hold up against a Winnipeg team that limits high-danger chances could decide which club snaps its recent trend, Montreal’s recent wins or Winnipeg’s four-game slide.
What To Watch
Both teams are trying to climb out of the bottom half of their divisions. Montreal sits fifth in the Atlantic at 12 points, while Winnipeg is sixth in the Central at 11 points, so every game carries early-season standings weight beyond the outdoor setting. The Canadiens also enter on the second half of a back-to-back after their Saturday win in Chicago, which could factor into how coaches manage ice time in the open-air environment. For Winnipeg, snapping a four-game losing streak in front of a home outdoor crowd would be the clearest signal the Jets are stabilizing after a rough stretch.
Montreal continues its road trip after the series opener against Winnipeg on Oct. 25, the first meeting between the two teams this season. For more on the Canadiens’ recent form, see the Canadiens vs. Blackhawks preview and the club’s search for depth at center detailed in the report on the Canadiens’ trade market options.
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