MTL@WPG: What you need to know

WINNIPEG – Patrik Laine returns to the city where it all began, this time in a Canadiens uniform, as Montreal squares off with the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Saturday.

Laine, the Jets’ second-overall pick in 2016, has three goals in three games against his former team. In his career, the Finnish sniper has tallied 71 goals – 69 as a Jet, two as a Blue Jacket – at Canada Life Centre (formerly known as MTS Centre).

Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:

GAME FACTS

TEAM COMPARISONS

Perhaps lost in the Canadiens’ 9-2 setback to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, is the fact that the team picked up six out of a possible 10 points on their five-game homestand. Given the result of the Habs’ most recent outing, it’s hard to use the word “momentum” right now, but the team’s 3-2-0 record on home ice in December is certainly something Montreal will look to build off with five games to play until the Christmas break.

Winnipeg’s start to the 2024-25 season has been historic in more ways than one. The Jets became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 15 wins and the first to win 14 of their first 15 games. While they’ve, pardon the pun, cooled their Jets since that scorching start, posting a 6-8-1 record in their last 15 games, they remain a formidable force at the top of the NHL standings—what they hope will be cruising altitude the rest of the way.

The Jets’ stats speak for themselves. They rank inside the top five in several key offensive and defensive categories, including goals per game (4th), goals allowed per game (1st), and power play percentage (2nd). With 10 players tallying 17 points or more, Winnipeg boasts a well-balanced attack complemented by reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, keeping the Manitoba-based club on auto pilot in an enviable position as they approach the midway mark of the season.

SEASON SERIES

Dec. 14 @ WPG:

Jan. 28 vs. WPG:

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR

The Canadiens captain continues to do his thing. With the opening marker on Thursday, Nick Suzuki ran his point streak to eight games. That’s the longest active point streak in the NHL.

Honorable mentions go to about half the Jets roster, but the one to watch for in this one is the man wearing the pads. Hellebuyck has simply been outstanding for Winnipeg this season, boasting a League-leading 2.12 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and three shutouts in 24 starts.

BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-JETS

Here’s how the Canadiens and Jets match up by the numbers:

LINEUP NEWS

The Canadiens are not scheduled for a morning skate on Saturday. Martin St-Louis and select players will be made available to the media around noon, however. Click here to see the forward lines at practice on Friday. For lineup news, keep an eye on @CanadiensMTL on X, and check back on the team’s social accounts closer to puck drop for the full lineup.