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Jets take on NHL-worst Canucks after epic comeback vs. Canadiens

Calvin Sinclair — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 13:00:27 GMT

Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime win over Montreal gave the Winnipeg Jets their first victory in nine games as they return home to face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday at Canada Life Centre. After snapping their winning streak in dramatic fashion, the Jets will look to win consecutive games for the first time since October 7th, when they beat the Colorado Avalanche after taking care of business against the Pittsburgh Penguins two days prior. The Jets won just one game after that for the rest of October, a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on October 13th.

Tonight, they take on the league-worst Canucks.

Tale of the Tape

Tyrel Bauer’s first career goal with 2:39 remaining in regulation started the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history, in terms of how late in a game the rally began. Winnipeg scored four regulation goals to tie Montreal in a franchise-record two minutes and six seconds, then added the winner in overtime.

Jacob Fowler made 42 saves for Montreal, including 19 in the second period. Winnipeg had been making him work well before the breakthrough, and Scott Arniel said post game that his intermission message was for his team to keep at it despite not getting one past Fowler.

Bauer also pointed to the response inside the room during a difficult stretch.

“This group believed in each other,” Bauer said. “We had each other’s backs in that room, the guys had my back on the ice tonight.”

Vancouver gave up three power play goals on three Anaheim attempts on Tuesday night. The Canucks have the second-worst penalty kill percentage in the league, sitting at 63.2%. Only the Los Angeles Kings (61.5%) have been worse on the PK.

Lineup and injury notes

Winnipeg lists Nick Bjugstad out with a pectoral injury, Josh Morrissey out with an upper-body injury, and Vladislav Namestnikov out with an undisclosed injury.

Vancouver lists Filip Chytil out with an upper-body injury, Thatcher Demko out with a hip injury, and Mackenzie MacEachern and Akil Thomas out with undisclosed injuries. The Canucks said Tuesday that Chytil would not travel with the team on its upcoming two-game road trip.

Tom Willander is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after missing Tuesday’s game against Anaheim.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Thursday at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Jets’ nine game losing streak ends after an insane come from behind 5-4 overtime win in Montreal

Connor Baldwin — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 03:30:01 GMT

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The Winnipeg Jets are now sixteen games into their 2026-27 NHL regular season following a Tuesday night road game against the Montreal Canadiens. The Jets were in Carolina on Sunday, and a commanding 7-0 loss extended the Jets current losing streak to nine games. Tonight the Jets improved to 5-8-3 on the season after a game you had to see to believe against the Montreal Canadiens. Ten straight losses looked like it was happening for sure, but the Jets managed to pull off a comeback for the ages.

Before seeing how the Jets won tonight’s game (in a rematch of the Heritage Classic), we have to quickly look back at Sunday night’s loss to the Hurricanes. I say quickly because there’s not much to say when it’s a 7-0 loss. Stuart Skinner was back in goal for the Jets on his 28th birthday, and he didn’t get the support needed to have a good performance on his special day.

The Jets were in this game early, but Sean Walker’s shorthanded goal five minutes into the game opened the scoring. Pyotr Kochetkov made some timely saves throughout this game, but the Jets struggles on offence continued. Early in the 2nd period things started to fall apart for the Jets. Juuso Valimaki and Sebastian Aho scored 24 seconds apart to give the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead with over 17 minutes left in the middle frame.

Sean Walker scored his second goal of the game five minutes later, and just over a minute after that goal Logan Stankoven scored his 10th goal of the season. Still with 30 minutes to go, the Jets were now down 5-0, and this game looked pretty much over. Clay Stevenson replaced Skinner in net for the 3rd period. Stevenson did quite well for a mid-game replacement, but a pair of goals less than two minutes apart near the middle of the period made it 7-0 Hurricanes. The Jets couldn’t break Kochetkov’s shutout late, and they skated away with their biggest loss (yet) of this losing streak.

Tonight’s game didn’t go much better (at first), and although they were up against another good opponent, the Jets overall play just wasn’t good enough, until the very end of the game. Owen Beck gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game, and Josh Anderson scored his 7th goal of the season late in the opening frame to have the Jets trailing 2-0 in the 1st intermission.

The Jets did get their fair share of scoring chances in the first half of this game, but Jacob Fowler continued his great run of play as the new “number one” goalie for the Canadiens. Cole Caufield scored on the powerplay four minutes into the 2nd, and suddenly the Jets were now faced with a three goal deficit. Despite another poor start on the scoreboard, the Jets outshot the Canadiens 19-7 in the 2nd period, but they couldn’t solve Fowler as they continued to trailed 3-0.

A tripping penalty from Mark Scheifele 15 seconds into the 3rd resulted in another Caufield powerplay goal just 30 seconds later. Caufield’s 10th goal of the season put this game officially out of reach (or so it seemed), and it was now just a matter of time before the losing streak officially reached ten games. Or was it? Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves with Arber Xhekaj with ten minutes left to try to spark something from the Jets. Five minutes later Adam Lowry got into a tilt with the other Xhekaj, Florian Xhekaj, as the Jets were keeping up the physicality despite trailing.

With just under three minutes to go, Tyrel Bauer scored his 1st career NHL goal, assisted by Cole Koepke and Dylan DeMelo. Less than a minute later Morgan Barron scored to make it 4-2, and Bauer got the primary assist on this goal, meaning that Bauer secured a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a fight, a goal, and an assist in the 3rd period. The Jets pulled the goalie late down two, and Kyle Connor scored his 12th goal of the season with exactly one minute remaining.

The Jets got a final powerplay with 35 seconds remaining, and Kyle Connor snapped home his second goal of the game with 33 seconds remaining. Somehow, someway, the Jets battled back down 4-0 late to tie this game at four with four goals in a span of 2:06. Shots on goal heading into overtime were 43-21 for the Jets.

Shots on goal were 3-1 for the Jets in overtime, before Dylan Samberg scored on the Jets 4th shot of overtime. The Jets ended their nine game losing streak in the most dramatic way possible, securing the win on the road in overtime by a final score of 5 to 4. It really looked like the losing streak would reach ten games, but the two fights seemed to have sparked something late in the 3rd to start and complete this insane come from behind victory. Final shots on goal 47-24 for the Jets, who are now finally back in the win column.

Up Next

The 2026-27 NHL regular season continues on Thursday, with another busy week of hockey coming up featuring several debuts of the new hometown remix jerseys. We’ll see tomorrow if Brad Lambert clears waivers, and if he does he’ll be headed to the Manitoba Moose. Stay tuned here on Daily Faceoff Winnipeg for the latest news on the Jets regular season, as well as articles to preview and recap the Jets next game (this time with a game they should win), on Thursday at 7 pm CT against the team at the bottom of the NHL standings: the Vancouver Canucks.

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Reeling Winnipeg Jets visit Montreal to take on Canadiens after 7-0 loss to Hurricanes

Calvin Sinclair — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 17:27:27 GMT

Sunday’s 7–0 loss to Carolina leaves the Winnipeg Jets searching for a more complete performance as they visit the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday. Winnipeg has lost each of their last nine games, with the latest defeat putting the club’s compete level under sharper scrutiny.

Montreal has won five straight games. For the Jets, the challenge is to sustain their play beyond isolated strong stretches against an opponent that also beat them in a much tighter game just over a week ago.

Tale of the Tape

Carolina outshot Winnipeg 32–26 in Sunday’s shutout. That six-shot difference tells only part of the story of a seven-goal loss; Jets head coach Scott Arniel’s concerns extend to how consistently his team handles the puck and competes to recover it.

“The consistency part, whether that’s the compete on pucks and doing it for 60 minutes, or it’s the execution, on specialty teams, breakout, forecheck, those kind of things, all those things being together for 60 minutes has been the biggest thing for me that I’ve talked to them about,” Arniel said.

Of course, the Jets kept things close when they took on the Canadiens in the Heritage Classic on October 25th, and will be looking to draw on that as they look to correct course. Meanwhile, the Habs are on a five-game winning streak. Montreal’s latest win was a 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday, where Josh Anderson contributed two goals and an assist, while Lane Hutson added two assists.

Projected lineups and starting goalie status

Both teams’ skater groups remain projected, not confirmed. Check them out at DailyFaceoff.com!

Winnipeg Jets projected personnel

Stuart Skinner was pulled in the Jets’ blowout loss to the Hurricanes, and Clay Stevenson came in in relief. Skinner stopped 12 of 17 shots, while Stevenson stopped 13 of 15. It’s unclear who the Jets will go with in goal tonight, but we’d assume it’s one of Nico Daws or Stevenson.

On the injury front, Nick Bjugstad is out with a pectoral injury, Garrett Brown with a lower-body injury, Josh Morrissey with an upper-body injury, but is hopeful to return by this weekend, and Vladislav Namestnikov is out with an undisclosed injury. Dawson Mercer is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and missed Monday’s practice.

Montreal Canadiens projected personnel

Jacob Fowler is confirmed to start for Montreal, according to DailyFaceoff.com’s Starting Goalies page.

Nick Suzuki remains out with an upper-body injury despite taking part in Monday’s drills alongside Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, and will not play tonight, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Kirby Dach missed that practice due to illness and remains day-to-day.

Ivan Demidov and Mike Matheson are out with lower-body injuries. Samuel Montembeault is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Jets woeful losing streak reaches eight games after a 5-2 road loss to the Panthers

Connor Baldwin — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 02:00:57 GMT

Follow us on our Daily Faceoff Winnipeg socials! X/Twitter: @dfo_winnipeg and on Instagram: @dfowinnipeg

The Winnipeg Jets are now fourteen games into their 2026-27 NHL regular season following a Friday night road game against the Florida Panthers. The Jets were in Tampa Bay last night, falling 6-4, marking their 7th straight loss (at the time). Tonight the Jets fell to 4-7-3 on the season after a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. Eight. Straight. Losses.

Before seeing what went wrong in tonight’s game (the second game against the Panthers this week), we have to look at how Thursday night’s game went against the Lightning. Stuart Skinner was back in the net for the Jets, but was replaced but Nico Daws, who made his Jets debut, after Skinner allowed 5 goals on 21 shots. The 3rd period was a good effort from the Jets, but a full 60 minute performance will be required if they want to end this long losing streak.

The Jets didn’t get off to a good start on Thursday night, as Brayden Point opened the scoring two minutes into the game. Neal Pionk scored his first of two goals on the night late in the opening frame, lifting the Jets into the intermission all even. The 2nd period was where things went wrong for the Jets, as they got outshot 14-7. Conor Geekie gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead halfway into the 2nd, and then Anthony Cirelli notched his 4th goal of the season on the powerplay to extend their lead.

It already wasn’t looking good for the Jets at that point, but things got worse as John Carlson and Brandon Hagel each scored a minute apart in the final two minutes of the 2nd period. The Jets went into the 3rd period down 5-1, and despite it looking like it was game over, the Jets did put in a very good effort in the final frame.

Dylan Samberg scored his first goal of the season and Neal Pionk followed up with his 2nd goal of the night just two minutes later. The Jets were now down 5-3 with 10 minutes remaining, and after an even stretch of play Kyle Connor scored his 10th goal of the season to put the Jets within one with around three minutes left. The Jets have had their fair share of one goal games this season, but Thursday’s game ended 6-4 for the Lightning as Pontus Holmberg wrapped up the game with an empty net goal.

Fast forward to tonight’s game, where the Jets took on the Panthers for the second time this week, this time on the road. Nico Daws made his first start for the Jets after being acquired from the New Jersey Devils as one of the players in the Connor Hellebuyck trade. The 1st period was highlighted by a lengthy and spirited heavyweight tilt between Tyrel Bauer and Boko Imama. Sam Reinhart scored his 7th goal of the season on the Panthers first powerplay of the game late in the opening frame to open the scoring.

Anton Lundell doubled the Panthers lead early into the 2nd period, and on this goal Seth Jones picked up his 16th assist on the season, who’s been on a roll lately. The Jets went on a 5 on 3 midway through the 2nd period after the Panthers unsuccessfully challenged a delay of game (puck over glass) penalty. Neal Pionk and Mark Scheifele set up Kyle Connor for a wonderful 11th goal of the season. Six minutes later, after an unsuccessful Jets powerplay, Seth Jones gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead on a powerplay. The Jets took too many unnecessary penalties tonight, including another infraction to end the 2nd, but the Jets defended well enough to keep this a two goal game heading into the final twenty minutes.

Just like last night in Tampa Bay, the Jets had an overall decent 3rd period (at least for most of the time). Morgan Barron scored his 1st goal of the season after a nice battle along the boards was won by Dawson Mercer. Five minutes later Anton Lundell scored his 2nd goal of the game to give the Panthers another two goal lead. The Jets tried to battle back late, but Anton Lundell wrapped up this game with an empty net goal to secure his hat trick and two points for his Panthers. Final score 5-2 Panthers, and final shots on goal were 38-24 for the Panthers. Once again the Jets couldn’t generate enough offence to find a way to get the two points. Make that eight straight losses now, with a game against the Carolina Hurricanes coming up on Sunday.

Up Next

The 2026-27 NHL regular season continues on Halloween, with another busy night of hockey coming up on Saturday night. Stay tuned here on Daily Faceoff Winnipeg for the latest news on the Jets regular season, as well as articles to preview and recap the Jets next chance to end their losing streak, on Sunday at 1 pm CT against the 2025-26 Stanley Cup winning Carolina Hurricanes.

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Skinner starts as Jets look to snap losing streak vs. Lightning

Calvin Sinclair — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:08:02 GMT

Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers left the Winnipeg Jets searching for a way out of their losing streak ahead of Thursday’s visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stuart Skinner is confirmed to start for Winnipeg tonight, with the Jets needing much more than a change in goal to get their game back on track.

Tampa Bay also enters off a defeat, having lost 5-4 in overtime to Utah on Saturday. The Lightning have won three of their last five games, giving Winnipeg another difficult test as it tries to find some offence without compounding its defensive mistakes.

Tale of the Tape

Winnipeg has scored seven goals across its previous five games, all losses, and its power play has gone 0-for-14 over that span. The Jets are missing a way to break open tight games, but Adam Lowry’s assessment after the Florida loss went beyond finishing.

“Just some consistency in our game, 5-on-5, short-handed, on the power play, and go from there. That’s been a thing that’s missing,” Lowry said.

Scott Arniel’s criticism focused on discipline and penalty killing after Florida converted three of five power play opportunities.

“Our penalty kill certainly has to be a lot better than it was. [We] made a lot of mistakes, and we took a lot of penalties,” Arniel said. He also said Winnipeg “can’t come out against a team like that and make the mental mistakes that we did.”

For the Jets, staying out of the box would keep a struggling penalty kill from having to carry so much of the night. Winnipeg needs to close space and recover pucks without turning missed assignments into penalties and more extended stretches on their heels.

Kyle Connor has nine goals, three assists, and 52 shots through 12 regular-season games. His finishing and shot volume give Winnipeg an offensive foundation. The story there is the same one it’s been all season, and for much of last season: the Jets need more production from their other three forward lines. On the home side, Nikita Kucherov presents a substantial challenge for the Jets, with four goals and 10 assists through 11 games so far this season.

Projected skaters and starting goalies

Skinner is Winnipeg’s confirmed starter, while Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start for Tampa Bay. Projected lineups are courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com.

Winnipeg Jets projected line combinations

Connor – Scheifele – Perfetti
Rosen – Lowry – Vilardi
Iafallo – Bjorck – Mercer
Koepke – Barron – Lambert

Samberg – Pionk
Ferraro – DeMelo
Fleury – Salomonsson

Tampa Bay Lightning projected line combinations

Goncalves – Point – Kucherov
Hagel – Cirelli – Guentzel
Mikheyev – James – Holmberg
Viel – Geekie

Moser – Carlson
McDonagh – Cernak
D’Astous – Lilleberg
Hedman

Arniel discussed possible changes to build line chemistry but did not reveal his plan for the Tampa game. Winnipeg is missing Nick Bjugstad due to a pectoral injury, Garrett Brown because of a lower-body injury, Josh Morrissey because of an upper-body injury, and Vladislav Namestnikov with an undisclosed injury.

Hagel’s and Hedman’s projected inclusion remains subject to their availability. Hagel is a game-time decision, while Hedman is day-to-day with a lower-body issue. Tampa Bay is also without Yanni Gourde because of a hip injury, and Zemgus Girgensons has been ruled out with a lower-body issue.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT on Thursday at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.

Panthers hand Jets their 6th straight loss by a score of 5 to 1

Connor Baldwin — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 02:50:06 GMT

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The Winnipeg Jets are now twelve games into their 2026-27 NHL regular season following a Tuesday night home game against the Florida Panthers. The Jets hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on Sunday. The Jets alumni lost 7-4 against the Canadiens alumni game on Saturday night, and the Jets fell 2-1 to the Canadiens at the Heritage Classic, marking their 5th straight loss (at the time). Tonight the Jets fell to 4-5-3 on the season after a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Before a very quick recap of my personal experience at the Heritage Classic weekend (including the alumni game, the pre-game and the outdoor game), we have to look at what went wrong on Tuesday night’s game against the Panthers. Tonight it was a battle of the backup goalies, as Akira Schmid and Clay Stevenson took the creases at Canada Life Centre.

The first five minutes of the game were even in terms of scoring chances, before Cole Koepke took the first penalty of the game a minute later. Carter Verhaeghe notched his 7th goal of the season on this powerplay, and Brady Tkachuk and Seth Jones picked up the assists. Just over a minute later Niko Mikkola made it 2-0 Panthers with a wrist shot from near the faceoff dot. The Panthers didn’t stop there, as less than two minutes later (on a powerplay for the Panthers after the Jets had too many players on the ice) Carter Verhaeghe scored his second of the game.

Despite the shots on goal being 8-6 for the Jets after the opening twenty minutes, the Panthers led 3-0. Clay Stevenson allowed 3 goals on the first five shots by the Panthers, and the Jets were unsuccessful with their one powerplay opportunity later in the opening frame. Things settled down in the first half of the 2nd period, with both teams generating five shots on goal. The Panthers had another powerplay opportunity after DeMelo was called for tripping, but the Jets kept it at 3-0.

The Jets finally got on the board courtesy of a Adam Lowry shorthanded wrap-around goal. Schmid failed to make a pass after controlling the puck behind the net. Schmid made a diving attempt to stop Lowry’s wrap-around, but after a quick review it was clear that the puck crossed the line. Unfortunately the penalty wasn’t killed off after the goal, as Sam Reinhart made it 4-1 for the Panthers less than a minute later.

Once again the Jets got a late powerplay opportunity, but the man advantage continued to struggle as the game remained 4-1 after forty minutes played. Shots on goal in the second frame were 11-10 in favour of the Panthers, and it was now going to take an epic come from behind effort in the 3rd period if the Jets wanted to snap their current five game losing streak.

However, that losing streak (which has featured some close games) continued. The Jets tried to claw back in the 3rd, but they couldn’t get too much going. Brady Tkachuk made it 5-1 Panthers with 8 minutes remaining, and his brother Matthew Tkachuk picked up his 4th assist of the night on this goal. It’s tough to fault Stevenson for a few of the goals tonight, but allowing 5 goals on 20 shots is never ideal. Final score on this Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre was 5-1 for the Panthers. Final shots on goal were 25-24 for the Jets. That’s now six straight losses for the Jets.

In terms of my experience at the Heritage Classic this weekend, I could go on and on about all the fun I had, but simply put it was a very well executed sporting event that I won’t forget. Of course it was a bit disappointing that the Jets couldn’t get the win (both in the alumni game and the Heritage Classic), but the vibes and the overall atmosphere at Canada Life Centre, the pre-game outside, and at Princess Auto Stadium this weekend were unmatched. This was my 2nd time in Winnipeg (after watching a game last March against the Islanders), and it was great to go back and watch the team that I continue to write about over the past few years.

Up Next

The 2026-27 NHL regular season is now almost 15% complete, with another busy night of hockey coming up on Thursday. Stay tuned here on Daily Faceoff Winnipeg for the latest news on the Jets regular season, as well as articles to preview and recap the Jets opening game of their upcoming four game road trip starting in Tampa Bay against the Lightning on Thursday night.

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Clay Stevenson starts as Jets look to snap losing streak vs. Panthers

Calvin Sinclair — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:06:41 GMT

Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic was the Winnipeg Jets’ fifth consecutive defeat by a single goal. Winnipeg hosts the Florida Panthers at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday, October 27, looking to turn those narrow margins into a different result.

Florida arrives after a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on October 25 and has won three of its last five games. For the Jets, finding offence beyond Mark Scheifele’s line is a priority after another close loss.

Tale of the Tape

Jets head coach Scott Arniel was direct about the scoring burden after the Montreal game.

“We need secondary [scoring]. We need other people stepping up, and it makes it hard if all the heat’s on Scheif’s line to try to do that,” Arniel said.

Kyle Connor has nine goals, three assists, and 49 shots through 11 games this season, while Scheifele has two goals and six assists over the same span. Connor’s finishing has given Winnipeg something to lean on, but the Jets need more offensive shifts that don’t depend on that unit delivering.

Arniel’s prescription starts around the crease rather than with a more elaborate play.

“You got to get to the net. You got to go get greasy goals, something that bounces off your skate or your foot or your back, whatever it is,” he said. “You know, we got to get inside.”

The power play is another area Winnipeg needs to improve. The Jets have gone 0-for-12 over their previous four games, especially noteworthy since all of those games have represented one-goal losses.

Florida killed seven penalties against Chicago, giving Winnipeg’s struggling power play a relevant test. Panthers coach Paul Maurice still urged his players to stay out of the penalty box after that win. The Jets need to make any opportunities count, but one successful penalty-killing performance does not make Florida unbeatable shorthanded.

Matthew Tkachuk has four goals and 12 assists in Florida’s first 12 games this season, with a point in 10. Seth Jones has points in six of his previous seven games, collecting 11 assists during that stretch. Winnipeg’s defensive attention needs to extend beyond the forwards: Jones’s production makes coverage of the options coming from the blue line part of the challenge, too. Florida has recent results to build on, but Winnipeg’s focus remains on generating more support for its top unit without loosening its coverage at the other end.

Projected lineups and confirmed starting goalies

Clay Stevenson is confirmed to start for Winnipeg, with Akira Schmid confirmed for Florida. The skater combinations below are projected. Starters and line combinations courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com.

Winnipeg Jets projected line combinations

Cole Perfetti – Mark Scheifele – Kyle Connor
Isak Rosén – Adam Lowry – Gabriel Vilardi
Dawson Mercer – Viggo Björck – Alex Iafallo
Brad Lambert – Morgan Barron – Cole Koepke

Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk
Dylan DeMelo – Elias Salomonsson
Tyrel Bauer – Mario Ferraro

Winnipeg goalie: Clay Stevenson

Florida Panthers line combinations

Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Sandis Vilmanis – Sam Reinhart – Carter Verhaeghe
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Lars Eller
Garnet Hathaway – Cole Schwindt – Bokondji Imama

Aaron Ekblad – Gustav Forsling
Seth Jones – Niko Mikkola
Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas

Florida goalie: Akira Schmid

Winnipeg’s middle-six found some spark when Arniel used them in the third period against Montreal. They offer a starting point for the secondary scoring he is seeking, rather than a reason to assume the offence will follow. Mercer is set to make his Canada Life Centre debut on his 25th birthday.

Bauer returns to the lineup with a straightforward approach: “My game’s the same. Hard, heavy, simple, and hopefully often.”

The Jets have Nick Bjugstad out with a pectoral injury, Garrett Brown out with a lower-body injury, Josh Morrissey out with an upper-body injury and Vladislav Namestnikov out with an undisclosed injury.

Florida’s listed absences are Aleksander Barkov with a lower-body injury, Jonah Gadjovich with an upper-body injury, Brad Marchand with a leg injury and Jacob Markstrom with an upper-body injury.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

A look at each of the pieces the Jets received in the Connor Hellebuyck trade with the Devils

Connor Baldwin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 21:02:36 GMT

Follow us on our Daily Faceoff Winnipeg socials! X/Twitter: @dfo_winnipeg and on Instagram: @dfowinnipeg

The Winnipeg Jets are now ten games into their 2026-27 NHL regular season following a Thursday night away game against the Dallas Stars. The Jets are now exactly 2 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. Princess Auto Stadium is now ready for the outdoor game, and the Jets vs. Canadiens alumni game will get the weekend going on Saturday night. The Jets fell to 4-3-3 on the season after a 3-2 (what seems like their favourite score this season) overtime loss to the Dallas Stars.

The Jets were somewhat lucky to get a point out of this game, as the Stars doubled the Jets shots on goal 38-19. The game last night was one thing, but today all of the attention has suddenly turned to the Connor Hellebuyck trade. Yes, the Connor Hellebuyck trade, which was finally completed today with the New Jersey Devils. The long wait from August 27th, the day Hellebuyck publicly his trade request, is finally over.

This weekend Jets fans were already excited about the Heritage Classic, but now Jets fans will be excited to know what they’re getting in return from the Devils for Hellebuyck. Oh, and if you’re wondering when the Devils will be in Winnipeg, well that game will be on November 10th, as Hellebuyck makes his return to Winnipeg (if he’s starting that night), in just a few weeks.

In exchange for the three-time Vezina Trophy winning goaltender, the Winnipeg Jets received from the New Jersey Devils: Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, a 2029 2nd round draft pick and a 2027 7th round draft pick. At first glance, this seems like a very solid return for the Jets given the situation that they were placed in with Hellebuyck’s private (and then public) trade request. Here’s a quick look at each of the players that are now headed to Winnipeg, along with where each of the players could fit within the organization.

Dawson Mercer is the main “right now” piece of this trade. The 24-year old right handed centre was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 1st round, 18th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. Mercer made an immediate impact in the NHL (after one final year in junior hockey), scoring 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points in his rookie season with the Devils. Mercer’s second season with the Devils was when he recorded his current career highs of 27 goals and 29 assists for 56 points. Mercer has had a slow start of the 2026-27 season, recording just 4 assists in 10 games. Something very notable about Mercer is that he’s appeared in all 82 games of every season he’s been in the NHL. Mercer will get an elevated role from what he was getting with the Devils, and although we don’t know exactly where Mercer will be in the lineup, the 2nd line seems like a good starting point for the newest Jets forward.

Alexander Command is the main “future” piece of this trade. The 18-year old left handed centre was drafted by the New Jersey Devils just this summer, in the 1st round, 12th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Command was a quick riser before the draft, as he was projected to be drafted later in the 1st round before the Devils stepped up with the 12th overall pick to select the Swedish forward. Command has played with Viggo Bjork on Team Sweden, and he currently plays for Orebro HK in the Swedish Hockey League. Command is a two-way centre who is described as a playmaker with a high-motor and a strong awareness of both ends of the ice. Command is projected to be a reliable middle-six (2nd or 3rd line) centre, and Jets fans could see him in the NHL in just a few seasons.

Nico Daws is the the goalie coming back in the Hellebuyck trade. The 25-year old was born in Germany but moved to Canada at a very young age. The 6’4″, 205 lbs goaltender was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 3rd round, 84th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. Daws has split his playing time throughout his career between the Devils and the Utica Comets in the AHL. Daws has appeared in 59 games in the NHL with a 26-26-1 record, a 2.94 goals against average, a 0.897 save percentage and 1 shutout. Daws has had his ups and downs in his career, and much like Mercer, he’ll benefit from a change in scenery. It’s unlikely that Daws will jump right into the backup role behind Skinner, but there’s a chance that Daws could make an appearance later in the season. Stevenson appears to be a reliable backup (so far), and Daws will benefit from getting regular playing time with the Manitoba Moose.

Nick Bjugstad is a veteran forward who is currently out for 4-6 months after recovering from surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle suffered during off-season training. Bjugstad is a tall 6’6″, 210 lbs right handed centre who was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in the 1st round, 19th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. The Jets will be Bjugstad’s 9th NHL team in his career. Bjugstad has appeared in 821 games, scoring 163 goals and 176 assists for 339 points. The veteran forward could be used in a bottom-six role on the Jets once he returns from injury in early 2027. Bjugstad was likely included in this trade to make the salary cap work for both teams, but there’s still some chance that Bjugstad could help the Jets in some capacity once he returns to full health.

The 2029 2nd round pick will hopefully be a decent prospect likely in the 40-50th overall range of that draft. The 2027 7th round pick could be just about anything, and although 7th round picks are generally seen as “nothing”, you never know what could happen with the player that is selected in that spot in this upcoming draft. Overall, I think the Jets did very well in this trade. Connor Hellebuyck was the franchise’s all-time best goalie, but it’s officially time to move on from that era and look at the team the Jets have right now. Mercer will be fun to watch (hopefully in the top six) right away, and Command is a very intriguing prospect that immediate jumps into the top five current Jets prospects. Daws, Bjugstad, and the two draft picks will hopefully help the Jets in some way, and for the Devils, Hellebuyck immediately improves their goaltending situation, making this a win-win situation for both teams.

Up Next

The 2026-27 NHL regular season is now around a month complete, with another busy night of hockey coming up on Sunday. Stay tuned here on Daily Faceoff Winnipeg for the latest news on the Jets regular season, as well as articles to preview and recap the Jets alumni game against the Canadiens alumni on Saturday, followed by the Heritage Classic on Sunday night!

PRESENTED BY PRAIRIE TOYOTA DEALERS

Jets receive Mercer, Command, Daws, Bjugstad, and two picks in Connor Hellebuyck trade with Devils

Calvin Sinclair — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:47:06 GMT

A long saga has come to an end as the Winnipeg Jets officially dealt Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday morning.

In return for their star goaltender, the Jets received 24-year-old Dawson Mercer, 2026 12th-overall pick Alexander Command, 25-year-old netminder Nico Daws, veteran centre Nick Bjugstad, a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

The Jets have been looking to trade Hellebuyck since the 33-year-old informed the team that he would like to be traded. Hellebuyck chose not to report to training camp, leading to the Jets suspending him. According to multiple reports, that suspension was due to end this week, but the Jets clearly had no interest in allowing Hellebuyck to return to the team, and for good reason.

Hellebuyck signed a seven year contract to remain with the Jets long-term back in 2023. The contract carried a cap hit of $8.5 million and a full no-move clause until 2027-28, Hellebuyck’s trade protection converts to a 10-team approved trade list. That means that Hellebuyck had full control over where he went in a trade, putting the Jets in a very tough position.

In the end, the Jets get a young NHL-ready forward in Mercer, a very intriguing centre prospect in Command, an interesting goaltender in Daws, a veteran centre who will provide them with some depth and experience down the middle in Bjugstad, and two draft picks, one of which will be in the top 64 of the draft, in exchange for their star goaltender.

Winnipeg originally selected Hellebuyck in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft with the 130th overall pick. A three-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goaltender, Hellebuyck also took home the Hart Trophy, awarded to the league’s MVP, in the 2024-25 campaign.

What’s your reaction to the Hellebuyck trade? Let us know in the comments section below!

Jets look to snap three-game losing streak in road matchup vs. Stars

Calvin Sinclair — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:32:45 GMT

One win in their previous five games leaves the Winnipeg Jets needing more from their attack as they visit the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to St. Louis left Winnipeg searching for a way to turn possession into goals without giving away chances at the other end.

Dallas has won three straight, most recently beating Boston 3-2 in overtime on October 20. The Stars outshot the Bruins 25–20, and Winnipeg will need more than a territorial edge to halt that run.

Tale of the Tape

Winnipeg outshot St. Louis 33-28 but managed just one goal. Getting pucks to the net is a starting point; getting bodies and the puck into more dangerous areas is the next step, rather than simply chasing a higher shot total.

For the Jets, the challenge is to create those chances without sacrificing support behind the puck. Sending everyone forward in search of a breakthrough risks giving Dallas opportunities in transition. Winnipeg needs traffic at the crease and options inside the defensive coverage, but also someone in position to recover loose pucks and protect against an exit.

Cole Perfetti supplied a useful example against St. Louis. Gabriel Vilardi found him alone in front, and Perfetti scored through the five-hole just 32 seconds into the third period to tie the game. Finding that space, rather than settling for another outside shot, is the sort of execution Winnipeg needs more often.

Kyle Connor has eight goals, 11 points, and 41 shots through nine games, while Perfetti has six goals, nine points, and 26 shots over the same span. Those two have given Winnipeg both production and shooting volume. The task is to complement that output with more chances from the supporting cast, rather than relying on the same finishers to solve every tight game.

Behind Connor and Perfetti, Mark Scheifele has eight points, and Neal Pionk has six. For Dallas, Mikko Rantanen has 11 points, Jason Robertson has nine, Miro Heiskanen has seven, and Roope Hintz has six. Heiskanen’s production is a reminder that Winnipeg’s coverage cannot stop with the forwards. The Jets need blue-line support while staying close enough to the puck to take away second chances around their own net.

Starting goalies and lineup notes

Stuart Skinner is confirmed to start for Winnipeg and Jake Oettinger for Dallas, according to Daily Faceoff. Skater combinations are up to date on our line combinations page!

Jets defencemen Garrett Brown and Josh Morrissey are out with lower-body and upper-body injuries, respectively. Centre Vladislav Namestnikov is also out with an undisclosed injury.

Dallas forward Oskar Bäck is out with a finger injury, Matt Duchene with an abdominal injury, and Cameron Hughes with an upper-body injury. Defenceman Esa Lindell is out with a lower-body injury.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center in Dallas.