Result: Winnipeg Jets 3-2 Detroit Red Wings
Kyle Connor scored twice. Cole Perfetti opened inside the first and Connor added two more either side of the interval. Viktor Arvidsson and Emmitt Finnie brought Detroit back to within one. Stuart Skinner made 33 saves for his first win in a Winnipeg shirt.
Our pick: Detroit. Wrong. We leaned on Detroit’s home record and Winnipeg’s three-games-in-four-nights schedule, and the tired team won. The under at 6 did land, with five goals.
The preview as published before the game follows.
Red Wings vs Jets is a Sunday afternoon game. Puck drop is 1:00pm ET, and it sits in the middle of three Winnipeg games in four nights.
Detroit have their own problem. Their best young defenceman is unsigned and in Sweden.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixture | Winnipeg Jets at Detroit Red Wings |
| Date | Sunday 4 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 1:00pm ET · 12:00pm CT · 11:00am MT · 10:00am PT |
| Venue | Little Caesars Arena, Detroit |
| 2025-26 head to head | Detroit won both |
| 2025-26 finish | Detroit 16th (92 pts), Winnipeg 26th (82 pts) |
| Note | Winnipeg’s middle game of three in four nights |
How to watch
| Region | Broadcast |
|---|---|
| Canada | TSN3 |
| United States | NHLN, DSN |
Broadcast listings change and regional blackouts can apply, so check your provider close to puck drop. Our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full national picture.
Red Wings vs Jets odds
The Canadian books had not posted a price for this game when we checked on 1 October. We will add the board once it lands. Live prices across the league are on our NHL odds page.
Simon Edvinsson has not signed
Detroit’s 23-year-old defenceman is a restricted free agent and remains unsigned. He attended training camp, which is unusual for an RFA without a deal, then went to Sweden when the two sides could not agree terms.
He is a real loss, not a depth one. Edvinsson put up 25 points in 72 games at plus 12 last season on a team that finished minus 17. Only Moritz Seider finished better among their defencemen.
Detroit is also without its captain for this one. Dylan Larkin has an upper-body injury, and coach Todd McLellan has ruled him out of the first two games, Friday against the Rangers and Sunday against Winnipeg. McLellan said he is hoping Larkin returns in Game 3, on Tuesday against Ottawa. He has scored 30 or more in five straight seasons and had 34 goals and 67 points last year. Jacob Bernard-Docker is day to day and will miss the start of the season.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Winnipeg Jets | Detroit Red Wings |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 35-35-12 | 41-31-10 |
| Points | 82 | 92 |
| Goals for per game | 2.79 | 2.91 |
| Goals against per game | 3.12 | 3.10 |
| Power play | 18.5% | 22.6% |
| Penalty kill | 77.6% | 77.1% |
Last season’s rates, which travel better from one year to the next than a record does.
Detroit has a better forward group than 16th suggests
Alex DeBrincat scored 41 goals and 85 points last season, which was 18th in the league, on a team that missed the playoffs. Lucas Raymond added 76 points and Larkin 67.
Moritz Seider is the other one. Sixty points from defence at plus 15, and with Edvinsson absent he carries the blue line on his own.
The summer addition is Viktor Arvidsson, who came from Boston on the back of 25 goals, 54 points and a plus 20. That plus 20 was the best figure of any forward who changed clubs in the Atlantic this summer.
John Gibson is in goal and knows this team, having played 57 games for them last season at 29-22-4, a 2.72 average and a .901 save percentage with four shutouts. Daniil Tarasov backs him up.
Winnipeg is in the hardest part of its week
The Jets host Boston on Friday night, fly to Detroit, and play at one in the afternoon on Sunday. Then they travel again and play Pittsburgh on Monday.
And they are doing it without Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets suspended him on 17 September for failing to report to training camp after his trade request, and there’s no date for his return. The background is on our Hellebuyck trade request page.
Stuart Skinner takes the crease. He played 50 games last season across two clubs, 23 for Edmonton at a .891 save percentage and 27 for Pittsburgh at .885. Neither number is Hellebuyck’s, and Winnipeg conceded 29 more than they scored even with Hellebuyck.
Mark Scheifele is the reason to watch anyway. A hundred and three points last season, 36 goals and 67 assists. Kyle Connor scored 39 and reached 92 points. Gabriel Vilardi added 30 goals and Josh Morrissey 55 from defence.
Detroit won both meetings last season
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2025 | Detroit 2-1 Winnipeg | Detroit |
| 24 January 2026 | Detroit 5-1 Winnipeg | Winnipeg |
A tight one at home on New Year’s Eve, then a four-goal win in Winnipeg three weeks later. Detroit didn’t need its best to take both.
Team news
| Player | Club | Status | Expected back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Edvinsson | Detroit | Unsigned, contract dispute | No date |
| Dylan Larkin | Detroit | Out, upper body | 6 October (target) |
| Jacob Bernard-Docker | Detroit | Injured reserve, upper body | No date set |
| Carter Bear | Detroit | Injured reserve, upper body | 6 October |
| Connor Hellebuyck | Winnipeg | Suspended, did not report to camp | No date |
| Walker Duehr | Winnipeg | Injured reserve, lower body | 17 October |
| Elias Salomonsson | Winnipeg | Injured reserve, shoulder | 15 October |
Larkin misses this one, and McLellan is targeting Tuesday against Ottawa for his return. Availability across the league is on our NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Alex DeBrincat. Forty-one goals last season and the most dangerous shooter in this game.
Mark Scheifele. A hundred and three points on a team that finished 26th.
Moritz Seider. Sixty points from the blue line, and now doing it without his partner.
Stuart Skinner. First of two starts in two nights, in a building where Winnipeg have not won recently.
Score prediction
Winnipeg Jets 2-4 Detroit Red Wings. Detroit took both meetings last season and is at home, while Winnipeg is playing for the second time in three days without its starting goaltender.
Red Wings vs Jets prediction
Detroit was ten points better last season, won both meetings including a 5-1 in Winnipeg, and is at home after a day off.
Winnipeg arrives for a 1pm start two days after its home opener and a day before it plays in Pittsburgh, without the suspended Hellebuyck.
The case against Detroit is real enough to note. The Red Wings are without Edvinsson indefinitely and Larkin for this game, and the 1pm start is as early for them as it is for the visitors.
Our lean: Detroit, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher. Both meetings last season finished at six goals or fewer and afternoon games tend to be flat. We will firm the Red Wings vs Jets call up when the board posts.
Where these two sit against the other 30 is on our NHL power rankings.
Puck drop is 1:00pm ET on Sunday 4 October 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. That is noon CT, 11:00am MT and 10:00am PT.
No. Edvinsson is an unsigned restricted free agent. He attended camp, then went to Sweden when the two sides could not agree terms. There is no return date.
No. Larkin has an upper-body injury, and coach Todd McLellan has ruled him out of Detroit’s first two games, including this one. McLellan is hoping he returns on Tuesday against Ottawa. He scored 34 goals and 67 points last season.
No. The Jets suspended Hellebuyck on 17 September for failing to report to training camp after his trade request, and there is no date for his return. Winnipeg’s likely starter is Stuart Skinner.
Detroit won both, 2-1 at home on New Year’s Eve and 5-1 in Winnipeg in January.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.