What a weekend to be a Habs fan. The Canadiens Heritage Classic win in Winnipeg on Sunday capped a perfect two-game road swing through Chicago and Manitoba, the Alouettes closed the CFL regular season with a comfortable win in Toronto, and CF Montréal had a week to forget. Here’s the full recap, plus everything on the Montreal sports calendar this week. All records are as of Oct. 26.
Canadiens Heritage Classic: Fowler stands tall outdoors
On Sunday at Princess Auto Stadium, the Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. Both Montreal goals came in the second period. Lane Hutson opened the scoring at 7:19, finishing a tape-to-tape play set up by Noah Dobson and Cole Caufield, and Kaiden Guhle’s point shot at 11:04 held up as the winner. Isak Rosen finally beat Montreal at 15:24 of the third, but that was all Winnipeg could manage.
The headline belongs to Jacob Fowler, who stopped 33 of 34 shots. According to the Canadiens’ game recap, Fowler, at 21 years and 335 days old, became the youngest goaltender in NHL history to start an outdoor game. Montreal is now 3-2-0 all-time in outdoor games, and the team arrived at the stadium dressed as Montreal brewery workers, a fun nod to the city’s beer history.
Evans does it all in Chicago
Two nights earlier at the United Center, Jake Evans scored twice, including a shorthanded goal, and added an assist in a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks. Connor Bedard gave Chicago an early lead, but Evans tied it late in the first period. Guhle scored his first goal of the season late in the second and Mike Matheson sealed it with an empty-netter. Fowler made 20 saves as Montreal outshot Chicago 28-21.
Winning without the captain
Both wins came without Nick Suzuki, who the team announced on Oct. 22 will miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury. He still leads the Habs with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in nine games. Caufield leads the team with six goals, Hutson has 10 points, and Fowler is 5-1-0 with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. At 6-3-2 with 14 points, Montreal sits fifth in the Atlantic Division.
Alouettes finish the regular season 14-4
With Davis Alexander resting, the Als beat the Argonauts 33-16 at BMO Field on Friday night. According to TSN, Dustin Crum ran in two touchdowns and went 17-of-20 for 153 yards in the first half, and Caleb Evans threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Kaseem Ferdinand and Charleston Rambo. Montreal finishes 14-4 and swept the season series with Toronto. “When you come up with 14 of those, that’s huge,” head coach Jason Maas said.
The Als have a bye this weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Argonauts in the East Semi-Final, and the winner comes to Molson Stadium for the Eastern Final on Saturday, Nov. 7. Catch up on the road to that game in our Alouettes Watch.
Award season for the Als
The individual honours are lining up too. TSN reports that Davis Alexander is Montreal’s nominee for Most Outstanding Player after leading the CFL with 328.6 passing yards per game and a 35-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Receiver Tyson Philpot was a unanimous pick for Most Outstanding Canadian: he leads the league with 1,809 receiving yards, 124 catches and 13 receiving touchdowns.
CF Montréal: a final lost, a season over
Wednesday’s Canadian Championship final at Stade Saputo ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, with Daniel Ríos scoring for Montreal in the 48th minute, before Forge FC won the shootout 4-2. TSN notes it’s the first time a Canadian Premier League team has won the title. After the match, fans threw objects, including pyrotechnics, onto the field, and the club has promised lifetime stadium bans for those it identifies, plus tighter security.
Saturday brought more bad news: a 2-0 home loss to Supporters’ Shield winners Nashville SC eliminated Montreal from playoff contention. The bright spot was 17-year-old Samsy Keita, who became the club’s youngest-ever starter in goal. Montreal is 6-18-7 with three games left. “We have to optimize the three games we have left to make some headway on development,” said interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.
Next up is a road game at Charlotte FC, then the Whitecaps visit Stade Saputo on Saturday, Nov. 7. TSN notes the supporters’ groups boycotted the Nashville match, and 1642 Montreal, the group that rings the stadium bell, won’t take part in any more games this season.
The week ahead in Montreal sports
- Tuesday, Oct. 27: Canadiens at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. ET (TSN2, RDS)
- Thursday, Oct. 29: Canadiens at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m. ET (TSN2, RDS)
- Saturday, Oct. 31: East Semi-Final, Blue Bombers at Argonauts, BMO Field
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Penguins at Canadiens, Bell Centre, 7 p.m. (Sportsnet East, TVA Sports)
The Halloween home game wraps up a long road trip, and don’t forget that clocks fall back early Sunday, Nov. 1. Looking further ahead, the PWHL’s Montréal Victoire open their regular season on Dec. 5 against Hamilton at Place Bell. Need a spot to watch the road games? Our list of bars to watch the Canadiens has you covered. Allez les Glorieux!
Good to know: the Rocket and the Victoire
Down on the farm, the Laval Rocket close out October with two games in Calgary, on Thursday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Montreal time. For a look back at how the Habs’ season started before this hot streak, our Habs Watch at 3-3-1 is worth a read.
As for the Victoire, the PWHL schedule has training camps opening Nov. 18 and two preseason scrimmages in Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Nov. 24 and 25. After the Dec. 5 opener, Montréal’s next home dates at Place Bell are Dec. 12 against San Jose and Dec. 26 against Ottawa. Our This Week in Montreal guide has more to do between games.
More on MTL365
- This Week in Montreal (Oct. 26–Nov. 1): Rocky Horror, Nosferatu With Live Organ, Les Grands Ballets and the Last Nights of Gardens of Light
- The Best Poutine in Montreal: 8 Spots Worth the Gravy Stains
- Montreal Municipal Strike: What’s Affected This Week, Plus 5 Stories to Know
- More Montreal sports on MTL365
Photo: Fleurdelisé / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources: NHL.com (Canadiens), NHL.com, TSN, TSN, CF Montréal, CF Montréal, TSN, TSN (awards), PWHL, CF Montréal (Nashville)
