The Montreal Canadiens (31-17-8) are set to face the Winnipeg Jets (22-25-8), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
This will be the final game of the schedule for the Habs before the Olympic roster freeze for Milan-Cortina, which comes into effect from February 5 through February 25. In other words, it’s the last opportunity to bank points before a rather long break, making it a very important game for all involved.
The Canadiens are currently in the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, but a win could push them into a Divisional playoff spot, improving their playoff odds in the process. As it stands, Montreal’s playoff odds are roughly 78%, putting them in a reasonably comfortable situation, however, they cannot afford to leave points on the table, especially versus struggling clubs such as the Jets.
Winnipeg is sitting in 28th in the standings, due to a clear-cut inability to generate much offence, a rather curious situation for a team with several talented forwards. Beyond Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabe Villardi, who have all reached the 20+ goal mark this season, no other forwards in the lineup have managed to score 10 goals.
The Canadiens, on the other hand, have seven players sitting at 10 or more goals, giving them a significant advantage in the depth department.
Lineup Changes, Starting Goalie
Seeing as Jakub Dobes started three games in a row, the Canadiens have decided to give veteran netminder Samuel Montembeault another kick at the can. He’s lost two games in a row, and is currently sporting an .868 save percentage, indicating there’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to his numbers.
Montembeault will play in front of a similar lineup as the one that lost in overtime to the Minnesota Wild, with one major difference: Arber Xhekaj will watch Wednesday’s game from the press box. Xhekaj was used sparingly in recent games, as evidenced by his 5:51 TOI versus the Wild.
Struble, 24, last played on January 22, a fairly difficult game that saw the Buffalo Sabres take advantage of a few miscues by the young defender.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Alex Texier
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
Josh Anderson – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Kaiden Guhle
Jayden Struble – Alex Carrier
Samuel Montembeault
Winnipeg Jets Projected Lineup
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Alex Iafallo
Cole Perfetti – Adam Lowry – Gabriel Vilardi
Nino Niederreiter – Jonathan Toews – Vladislav Namestnikov
Cole Koepke – Morgan Barron – Gustav Nyquist
Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg – Elias Salomonsson
Logan Stanley – Luke Schenn
Connor Hellebuyck
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Jets
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Winnipeg Jets, Wednesday, February 4, 2026, will be aired on Sportsnet and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle takes place.
