Canadiens hold off Jets in Heritage Classic, 2-1 as Jacob Fowler posts 33 saves

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Winnipeg hosted the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday, with the Montreal Canadiens coming away with a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Fowler turned in 33 saves in goal as Montreal held on after a scoreless first period to win the game and improve to a 6-3-2 record.

Montreal’s scoring was provided by Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle. Hutson opened the scoring at 7:19 of the second period after Noah Dobson found him backdoor with a cross-slot pass; Hutson then put the puck behind Winnipeg goaltender Stuart Skinner.

Guhle extended the Canadiens’ lead to 2-0 at 11:04 of the second period. The Canadiens’ second goal came on a catch-and-release wrist shot from the blue line that Guhle fired through traffic past Skinner.

The Jets answered in the third period with Isak Rosen scoring his first goal of the season. Rosen cut the deficit to 2-1 at 15:24 when Gabriel Vilardi set him up for a one-timer from below the right face-off dot.

Despite the late deficit, Winnipeg was unable to find the equalizer. Skinner finished with 19 saves for the Jets, who were held to one goal in the loss and remained without a win during a five-game skid.

The Canadiens also entered the game with momentum, and the result extended their positive stretch. Montreal collected the win to reach points in four straight games, going 3-0-1 over that span.

With the game concluding 2-1, Montreal’s defensive effort was the determining factor. Fowler’s 33-save performance ensured the Canadiens maintained their lead after the first two goals, even as the Jets scored in the third.

For the Jets, the loss capped a difficult stretch as they continued to lose five straight games, with a record listed at 4-4-3 at the time of the recap. Winnipeg’s lone goal came from Rosen, with Vilardi credited on the play leading to the one-timer.