Montreal Canadiens vs Winnipeg Jets Picks and Predictions for Sunday, October 25, 2026

There's something different about an outdoor hockey game, and Winnipeg gets to host one while trying to end a four-game losing streak. The Jets welcome the Montreal Canadiens to Princess Auto Stadium for Sunday's Heritage Classic, starting at 7:00 pm ET on TNT and truTV. Winnipeg sits sixth in the Central Division with a 4-3-3 record after losing 3-2 in overtime to Dallas on Thursday. Montreal is fifth in the Atlantic at 5-3-2 and comes to town following a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Friday. The Canadiens have won three of their last five games. Be a winner with our free NHL picks.

Montreal Canadiens Have Been Involved in Some Close Games

A regulation win was a welcome change for Montreal on Friday. The Canadiens beat Chicago 4-1 after spending much of the previous week playing games that went down to the wire. They needed a shootout to beat Buffalo on October 13, lost 5-4 to Washington the next night, and then beat Buffalo again in overtime. San Jose handed them a 4-3 overtime defeat Tuesday. Montreal has scored 32 goals in 10 games, but the 35 allowed tell another story. The Canadiens have been giving up goals even though opponents are averaging only 25.8 shots per game.

Nick Suzuki won't be available Sunday, leaving Montreal without its leading scorer. Suzuki has 12 points from five goals and seven assists. Cole Caufield has scored six times, while Lane Hutson also has seven assists. The Canadiens have received good goaltending from Jacob Fowler, who has won four of his five appearances and recorded a shutout. His 2.16 goals-against average ranks eighth among qualified NHL goalies, and he has a .900 save percentage. Jakub Dobes has allowed 4.47 goals per game with an .847 save percentage. Montreal's power play has converted only 12.5% of its opportunities.

Injuries: Nick Suzuki is out. Florian Xhekaj, Sam Montembeault, Ivan Demidov and Bryce Pickford are on injured reserve.

Winnipeg Jets Trying to Get Another Victory

Winnipeg hasn't been playing terrible hockey, but the losses keep coming. The Jets beat Minnesota 5-2 on October 13 and haven't won since. Chicago needed overtime to beat them 4-3, Carolina won 3-2 in Winnipeg, and St. Louis held the Jets to one goal Tuesday. Thursday's visit to Dallas ended with another overtime defeat. Winnipeg has earned two points from those four losses, but that's hardly enough to move up the standings. The Jets have scored 26 goals in 10 games and allowed 29. They're also getting outshot, averaging 26.5 shots while facing 30 per game.

Kyle Connor has been doing his share of the scoring. He leads Winnipeg with 12 points and nine goals, the latter ranking third in the NHL. Four of those goals have come on the power play. Cole Perfetti has scored six times, while Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk have six assists each. Stuart Skinner has a 3-1-3 record with a 2.67 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Winnipeg has converted 22.2% of its power plays, which has helped when goals have been difficult to find at even strength.

Injuries: Vladislav Namestnikov, Nick Bjugstad, Josh Morrissey and Garrett Brown are on injured reserve. Nino Niederreiter is day-to-day.

Key To The Game

Montreal will be missing Suzuki, while Winnipeg needs more goals from players beyond Connor and Perfetti. The Jets have been keeping games close, but that hasn't translated into victories. Winnipeg's power play is another area worth watching.

Montreal Canadiens vs Winnipeg Jets Game Pick

• Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg has lost four straight, but three of those games were decided by one goal. Connor has been scoring regularly, and Skinner has given the Jets a chance to win with his .912 save percentage. Montreal has played well lately, although losing Suzuki takes away its top point producer. Winnipeg has the better power-play numbers and gets a chance to put things right at home. The Jets win Sunday's Heritage Classic.

Montreal Canadiens vs Winnipeg Jets Over/Under Pick

• Under

The Jets have managed eight goals during their four-game losing streak, with three of those contests finishing at five total goals or fewer. Montreal has scored regularly, but Suzuki's absence leaves a hole in the attack. Fowler has been solid in net, and Skinner has kept Winnipeg competitive despite the losses. Neither team needs a high-scoring game to win this matchup. The under is the play for Sunday's outdoor meeting.