Key Takeaways
- Jacob Fowler made 33 saves as Montreal defeated Winnipeg 2-1 in the 2026 NHL Heritage Classic.
- At 21, Fowler became the youngest goaltender to start and win an NHL outdoor game.
- Second-period goals by Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle gave the Canadiens the deciding edge.
A Rookie Owned the Biggest Stage in Winnipeg
The Montreal Canadiens showed up dressed as brewery workers. Their rookie goalie then served up something ice cold.
Jacob Fowler made 33 saves on Sunday, October 25, backstopping Montreal to a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at a sold-out Princess Auto Stadium. At 21, Fowler became the youngest goaltender in NHL history to start — and win — an outdoor game, earning first-star honours in the league's 46th outdoor game and its 10th in Canada.
It was his fifth straight win (5-1-0, 1.79 goals-against average, .924 save percentage) — a month after he was sent to the AHL's Laval Rocket out of training camp and recalled on October 7. "Obviously you want to get the win, but I think tonight was one of those games where you never want the game to end," Fowler said. "It's so fun to be out there."
Four Minutes in the Second Period Decided It
After a scoreless first, Montreal struck twice in quick succession. Lane Hutson opened the scoring at 7:19 of the second, finishing a backdoor play off a cross-slot pass from Noah Dobson, with Cole Caufield assisting. Less than four minutes later, at 11:04, Kaiden Guhle's catch-and-release wrist shot from the blue line beat Stuart Skinner through traffic for the game-winner — Caufield's second assist of the night, with Juraj Slafkovsky adding the other.
Winnipeg pushed late. Isak Rosen solved Fowler at 15:24 of the third, converting a one-timer off a Gabriel Vilardi setup for his first goal of the season. But the Jets went 0-for-4 on the power play, and Skinner's 19 saves weren't enough.
Life After Hellebuyck
This was Winnipeg's first game since Friday's blockbuster trade sent franchise goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils — and the spotlight landed on the return. Dawson Mercer, the headline piece coming back, made his Jets debut with 15:22 of ice time, two shots and a blocked shot.
The loss was Winnipeg's fifth straight (0-3-2), dropping them to 4-4-3, again without defenceman Josh Morrissey (sixth straight game missed). Montreal improved to 6-3-2 despite missing captain Nick Suzuki (hand) and rookie Ivan Demidov (lower-body). Next: Montreal visits St. Louis on Tuesday; Winnipeg hosts Florida.
The Twikup Take
One game doesn't define a trade — but the contrast writes itself. On the night Winnipeg's post-Hellebuyck era began, the best goaltender on the ice was a 21-year-old in the other net. The Jets don't need Mercer to be a star. They need a goalie. That is the Hellebuyck-sized hole, and Sunday it was on full display under the open sky.
Photo: Significa liberdade / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, home of the 2026 NHL Heritage Classic.