Canadiens 2, Jets 1: Fowler Steals the Heritage Classic

October 25, 2026 - Winnipeg - Princess Auto Stadium is a football building. On Sunday it held an NHL Heritage Classic, 32,342 people per ESPN, and a 21-year-old goalie who would not give the Jets a clean look. Jacob Fowler stopped 33. Montreal left 2-1.

The Montréal Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. Montreal is 6-3-2, points in four straight (3-0-1), the NHL recap said. Winnipeg is 4-4-3, five straight losses (0-3-2). Shots were 34-21 Winnipeg. Fowler, Kaiden Guhle, Isak Rosen, Dawson Mercer, Adam Lowry, Arber Xhekaj, and Florian Xhekaj are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Lane Hutson and Guhle scored. Cole Caufield had two assists. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 of 21. Rosen scored. Gabriel Vilardi assisted. Noah Dobson assisted on Hutson. Juraj Slafkovský assisted on Guhle.

Two in the second, none in the first

The first period was 0-0. Hutson made it 1-0 at 7:19 of the second. Dobson found him backdoor. Cross-slot. Behind Skinner. Hutson, on NHL.com: it is still a work in progress. Hard actions, prideful hockey, limit the risk, still learning how to play with the lead.

Guhle pushed it to 2-0 at 11:04, a catch-and-release from the blue line through traffic. The NHL notes said he has scored in two straight and has three points in that span. Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis told NHL.com Fowler was tremendous, but ideally he would like to defend less. They were good when they had to do it. Later: the penalty kill did a great job in front of Fows, but they actually had to defend too much.

Fowler, on NHL.com: last year he got a taste of it in 17 games. He had a lot of belief in this group. Give them a chance. They have skill. They can put a few in.

Rosen's first, Mercer's debut, still 2-1

Rosen scored his first of the season at 15:24 of the third. Vilardi set a one-timer from below the right dot. Haydn Fleury had the other assist on the NHL landing. Lowry told NHL.com Rosen looked him off right before, said he just needed to get dialed in, and what he is going to be known for is his offensive chops. Grade A. Nice to see it go in.

Jets coach Scott Arniel: they started a little slow. The third was their best period. Their goaltender was real good. The biggest thing, they did not have enough traffic on Fowler. Make it more difficult to find pucks.

Mercer played 15:22 in his Jets debut, two shots and a block, two days after Winnipeg traded Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey. Mercer, on NHL.com: pretty cool experience, a weird situation to be thrown into, a special one he will cherish. The outcome is not what they wanted. Nice to get going with the guys.

The NHL notes said Fowler is the fourth rookie goalie to win an outdoor game, with Nico Daws, Matt Murray, and Mike Condon. He is the youngest goalie to start one (21 years, 335 days). The five-game win streak has eight goals against. The Xhekaj brothers became the third set of brothers in the same outdoor game, after the Hughes brothers and the Sedins. Mercer is the fourth player to debut with a team outdoors. Winnipeg is the second Canadian club to host two outdoor games, the AP recap said, after Edmonton.

AthX Engine on a 33-save outdoor win

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Fowler at 15.00: a win, 33 saves, one goal against. Hutson and Guhle are 6.10 each (a goal, a shot, three blocks). Caufield is 5.00 on two assists and zero shots. Rosen is 5.20. Skinner's 19-save loss is 5.20. Montreal's club line is 15.40. Winnipeg's regulation loss is 0.20.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Hutson after a backdoor in a football stadium, and for a Jets club that hosted a Heritage Classic two days after trading Hellebuyck. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Hutson, Caufield, Skinner, and both clubs on the marketplace. Montreal visits St. Louis on Tuesday. Florida visits Winnipeg that night.

*Sources: NHL.com recap, ESPN recap, ESPN box. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020182. Information only; not financial advice.*