Winnipeg has won four of six without its starting goaltender. Connor Hellebuyck is serving a suspension, not nursing an injury, and the Jets have coped. They visit Chicago at the United Center on Thursday 15 October. Our Jets vs Blackhawks prediction and the team news are below.
How to watch
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | Winnipeg Jets at Chicago Blackhawks |
| Date | Thursday 15 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT |
| Venue | United Center |
| Records | Winnipeg 4-1-1, Chicago 2-5-0 |
Regional coverage differs from the national listing and blackouts apply in parts of Canada. Our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full picture.
Jets vs Blackhawks odds
Canadian books post NHL prices the night before or the morning of a game, and this one was not on the board when the page was built. The live board is on our NHL odds page, and the daily picks with prices sit on NHL predictions.
Winnipeg has owned this matchup for years
The Jets lead the all-time series 33 wins to 19. They took three of four last season, two of them in overtime, and won 6-3 at home in October. Chicago’s one victory was a 2-0 shutout in January.
Winnipeg is 4-1-1 and beat Minnesota 5-2 on Tuesday. Cole Perfetti scored twice and Mark Scheifele finished with a goal and two assists. Kyle Connor has six goals.
What the Jets are not doing is scoring heavily. Eighteen goals in six games, and seventeen conceded. This is a side winning tight games rather than running anyone over, which is roughly what it did last season too.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Winnipeg Jets | Chicago Blackhawks |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 35-35-12 | 29-39-14 |
| Points | 82 | 72 |
| Goals for per game | 2.79 | 2.56 |
| Goals against per game | 3.12 | 3.29 |
| Power play | 18.5% | 16.9% |
| Penalty kill | 77.6% | 83.6% |
Ten points separated these clubs last season and neither was good. Chicago had the better penalty kill by six points, Winnipeg scored more. Both conceded more than three a game.
Chicago is better than 2-5-0 but not by much
The Blackhawks beat Pittsburgh 5-3 on Tuesday and beat St. Louis 4-2 earlier in the month. In between they lost 5-2 to Carolina and 4-1 on Long Island. Seven games in, they have 17 goals and have conceded 29.
Frank Nazar is suspended and misses this one. Andrew Mangiapane is out with a lower-body injury. That is two forwards gone from a group that was already the lowest-scoring in the league last season.
Chicago has conceded 29 goals in seven games. Only two clubs in the league have let in more, and both have played more hockey. The Blackhawks have been competitive at the United Center and leaky everywhere else.
Three of the last four needed extra time or stayed under five goals
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2026 | Winnipeg 4-3 (OT) | Chicago |
| 3 Mar 2026 | Winnipeg 3-2 (OT) | Winnipeg |
| 19 Jan 2026 | Chicago 2-0 | Chicago |
| 30 Oct 2025 | Winnipeg 6-3 | Winnipeg |
Winnipeg took three of the four last season but needed overtime for two of them. Chicago’s win was a shutout at the United Center, which is where this one is played.
The 6-3 in October is the outlier. Everything else in this series recently has been a one-goal game or a low-scoring one, and that is the shape to expect.
Team news
| Club | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | Connor Hellebuyck | Unavailable. He is serving a suspension rather than carrying an injury, despite how the league’s injury feed files it |
| Winnipeg | Josh Morrissey | Day to day with a wrist problem |
| Winnipeg | Elias Salomonsson | Out, shoulder |
| Winnipeg | Walker Duehr | Out, lower body |
| Chicago | Frank Nazar | Suspended for this game |
| Chicago | Andrew Mangiapane | Out, lower body, on injured reserve |
Morrissey is the one to watch on Thursday morning. Winnipeg is already without its first-choice goaltender, and losing its best defenceman on top would change the shape of this. Chicago is missing two forwards it can ill afford. Availability across the league is on our NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg. Two goals against Minnesota, including the power-play goal that broke a 2-2 tie. He has been the Jets’ best forward in the opening fortnight.
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg. Six goals in six games. He scored again on Tuesday and is the most direct route to a Jets win here.
Chicago’s penalty kill. It finished at 83.6 per cent last season, fourth best in the league, on a team that finished 31st. It remains the one thing the Blackhawks do well.
Score prediction
Winnipeg Jets 4-2 Chicago Blackhawks. Winnipeg is the better side, has the head-to-head and is scoring. Chicago keeps it respectable with the penalty kill. Two goals in it.
Jets vs Blackhawks prediction
Winnipeg should win. It is 4-1-1, it has taken three of the last four in this matchup, and Chicago has conceded 29 goals in seven games. The Jets have managed perfectly well without Hellebuyck so far.
The case for Chicago is that it has just beaten Pittsburgh and is at home, where it shut Winnipeg out in January. Our lean: Winnipeg, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher. Three of the last four meetings went to overtime or finished with five goals or fewer, and both clubs were in the bottom third for scoring last season. Where both sit is on our NHL power rankings, and the rest of Thursday is on the NHL schedule.
Puck drop is 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT on Thursday 15 October 2026 at the United Center.
He is serving a suspension. It is not an injury, though the league’s injury feed lists him under injured reserve.
No. The Chicago forward is suspended for this game.
Winnipeg, 33 wins to 19 all time. The Jets took three of the four meetings last season.
Winnipeg to win, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher. Winnipeg is 4-1-1 and owns this matchup, and both clubs were among the lowest scorers last season.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds 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.