Fowler near flawless as Canadiens tip Jets 2-1 in Heritage Classic showcase

WINNIPEG — Jacob Fowler made 33 saves to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Sunday’s NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

Fowler, who has won his last five starts, fell just short of his second shutout of the season.

Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle scored for Montreal (6-3-2), which is 2-0 on its current four-game road trip after a 4-1 win over Chicago on Friday. Cole Caufield registered a pair of assists.

Isak Rosen scored the lone goal for Winnipeg (4-4-3), his first of the season cutting it to a one-goal game with under five minutes remaining in the third period. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots.

The Jets became just the second Canadian team after Edmonton to host two outdoor games. The Jets were also blanked 3-0 by the Oilers in the first one, but spoiled Calgary’s 2019 outdoor game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina with a 2-1 overtime victory.

It was Winnipeg’s first game since trading franchise netminder Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. Dawson Mercer, who headlined the return from the Devils, had two shots and one blocked shot in 15:22 of ice time.

Winnipeg went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Montreal didn’t have a power play.

TAKEAWAYS

Jets: Winnipeg has surrendered the first goal in seven of their last nine games. The Jets dropped to 2-3-2 in games when trailing first. The Jets were without all-star defenceman Josh Morrissey for a sixth consecutive game.

Canadiens: Montreal entered the game with a losing record when scoring first, but improved to 2-2-1 with Sunday’s win. The Canadiens were missing some major firepower with the absences of forwards Nick Suzuki (hand) and Ivan Demidov (lower-body).

KEY MOMENT

Defenceman Guhle’s shot found its way through traffic and past Stuart at the 11:04 mark of the middle frame, capping a two-goal second period and what was the eventual game-winning goal.

KEY STAT

The 21-year-old Fowler is 5-1-0 on the year, while the Canadiens improved to 3-2 in outdoor games.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Visit the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

Jets: Host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2026.

Jeff Hamilton, The Canadian Press