Our Winnipeg Jets vs Detroit Red Wings preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Sunday, October 4, 2026. The Winnipeg Jets (0-0-1 this season; 35-35-12 in 2025-26) visit the Detroit Red Wings (0-1-0 this season; 41-31-10 in 2025-26) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. Puck drop is 1:00 PM ET (1:00 PM local). TV: NHL Network (U.S.) / Detroit Sports Net / TSN3 (Canada).
Storyline: Both teams are looking for their first win after losing their openers Friday. Winnipeg lost 4-3 in overtime at home to Boston, which tied the game with 1:38 left in regulation before JJ Peterka scored at 3:21 of overtime. Detroit was shut out 2-0 by the Rangers at home (NHL.com). The Red Wings are without centers Dylan Larkin and Marco Kasper, and the Jets are without suspended goalie Connor Hellebuyck. DraftKings lists Detroit at -115 and Winnipeg at -105 on the moneyline, with the total at 5.5.
Winnipeg Jets vs Detroit Red Wings Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Winnipeg Jets @ Detroit Red Wings |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Winnipeg Jets 0-0-1 | Detroit Red Wings 0-1-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Winnipeg Jets 35-35-12 | Detroit Red Wings 41-31-10 |
| Head Coaches | WPG: Scott Arniel (3rd season) | DET: Todd McLellan (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | WPG +1.5 (-258) | DET -1.5 (+210) |
| Moneyline | Winnipeg Jets: -105 | Detroit Red Wings: -115 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-122 / u+102) |
| Venue | Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Mich.) |
| Date / Time | Sunday, October 4, 2026 — 1:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | NHL Network (U.S.) / Detroit Sports Net / TSN3 (Canada) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | WPG: TBD (Stuart Skinner / Clay Stevenson; Connor Hellebuyck suspended) | DET: TBD (John Gibson / Daniil Tarasov) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, ~6:23 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
Winnipeg Jets Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Winnipeg went 35-35-12 (82 points), finished seventh in the Central Division and missed the playoffs one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. Mark Scheifele had 36 goals and 103 points, Kyle Connor had 39 goals and 92 points, and Gabriel Vilardi set career highs with 30 goals and 69 points.
Offseason moves: Winnipeg signed goalie Stuart Skinner (two years, $7.5 million) and defenseman Mario Ferraro (three years, $12 million), and Cole Perfetti signed a five-year contract. Jonathan Toews retired and Gustav Nyquist left as a free agent. The Jets claimed goalie Clay Stevenson off waivers from Washington, and 18-year-old Viggo Bjorck, the No. 8 selection in the 2026 draft, made the team (NHL.com, The Hockey News).
Key players & coach: Scheifele, Connor, Vilardi, Perfetti, Adam Lowry, Alex Iafallo and Nino Niederreiter lead the forwards. Josh Morrissey (55 points), Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg and Ferraro lead the defense. Scott Arniel is in his third season as coach.
The Hellebuyck situation: Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner with five seasons left on his contract, made his trade request public on Aug. 27 and was suspended after he did not report to training camp (WinnipegJets.com, NHL.com). He went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage last season.
Goalies: Skinner made 26 saves on 30 shots in his Jets debut Friday. He went 23-17-9 with a 2.92 GAA, .888 save percentage and two shutouts in 50 games for Pittsburgh and Edmonton last season. Stevenson went 3-1-0 with a .921 save percentage in four games for Washington. Winnipeg had not confirmed a starter for Sunday at research time.
Season opener recap: Boston beat Winnipeg 4-3 in overtime at Canada Life Centre on Oct. 2. DeMelo, Connor (power play) and Ferraro scored for the Jets, who led 3-2 after two periods, and Lowry had two assists. Elias Lindholm tied it at 18:22 of the third, and Peterka won it. Winnipeg outshot Boston 33-30, and Connor extended his NHL record to nine straight season openers with a goal (NHL.com, WinnipegJets.com).
Injuries: Defenseman Elias Salomonsson (shoulder surgery), defenseman Garrett Brown (lower body) and forward Walker Duehr (lower body) are on injured reserve, and Hellebuyck is listed as suspended (ESPN).
Detroit Red Wings Preview: Searching for Goals Without Larkin and Kasper
2025-26 recap: Detroit went 41-31-10 (92 points), finished sixth in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs. The Red Wings had a 12-point playoff cushion on Jan. 24, then went 9-15-5 and ranked 30th in goals per game (2.55) over that stretch (NHL.com). Alex DeBrincat led the team with 85 points (41 goals, 44 assists), Lucas Raymond had 76 points and Larkin scored 34 goals.
Offseason moves: Detroit signed forward Viktor Arvidsson (two years, $10 million) after he had 54 points for Boston, acquired forward Keegan Kolesar from Vegas and signed goalie Daniil Tarasov. Shawn Horcoff became interim GM on Sept. 15 after Steve Yzerman stepped down in July (NHL.com, MLive).
Key players & coach: DeBrincat, Raymond, Andrew Copp, Emmitt Finnie, Arvidsson and Kolesar lead the forwards. Moritz Seider set career highs with 60 points and 25:40 of ice time per game last season, and Justin Faulk and Ben Chiarot are also on the back end. Larkin lost the captaincy entering this season, and Detroit has no captain (NHL.com). Todd McLellan is in his third season as coach.
Larkin and Kasper update: Larkin, who requested a trade after last season, is missing the first two games with an upper-body injury from offseason training, and the Red Wings hope to have him back Tuesday against Ottawa. Larkin took part in practice Saturday, and McLellan said "things are going in the right direction." Kasper is out Sunday with an upper-body injury that McLellan said is not from his fight with Sean Durzi on Friday. Finnie moved from wing to center at practice, and Carter Mazur is in line for his season debut (NHL.com, MLive).
Goalies: John Gibson made 19 saves on 20 shots in Friday’s opener. He went 29-22-4 with a 2.72 GAA, .901 save percentage and four shutouts in 57 games last season. Tarasov went 13-15-3 with a 3.05 GAA and .895 save percentage for Florida. Detroit had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: The Rangers beat Detroit 2-0 at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 2. Durzi scored on the power play at 5:12 of the first period, and Eeli Tolvanen added an empty-net goal. Detroit led 20-15 in shots through two periods but had two shots in the third (NHL.com).
Injuries and absences: Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, an unsigned restricted free agent, has returned to Sweden (NHL.com, ESPN). Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker (upper body), forward Carter Bear (upper body) and forward Chase Stillman (undisclosed) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Jets vs Red Wings
- Schedule spot: Both teams opened Friday and had Saturday off. It is Winnipeg’s first road game and the first half of a back-to-back, with a game at Pittsburgh on Monday. Detroit plays its second straight home game.
- Last season: Detroit won both meetings, 2-1 at home on Dec. 31, 2025, and 5-1 in Winnipeg on Jan. 24 (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Detroit was shut out Friday after ranking 30th in goals per game over the final 29 games of last season. Winnipeg scored three goals on 33 shots in its opener.
- In goal: Gibson posted a .901 save percentage last season and Skinner an .888. Skinner stopped 26 of 30 shots Friday, and Gibson stopped 19 of 20.
- Down the middle: Detroit is without Larkin and Kasper. Winnipeg’s top line of Scheifele, Connor and Vilardi scored 47 goals at 5-on-5 last season, the most of any line in the NHL (NHL.com).
- Odds snapshot: Detroit -115 / Winnipeg -105 on the moneyline, Red Wings -1.5 (+210) on the puck line, total 5.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Winnipeg Jets vs Detroit Red Wings
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026
Puck drop: 1:00 PM ET (1:00 PM local)
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.
TV: NHL Network has the game nationally in the U.S., and Detroit Sports Net (DSN) carries it in the Red Wings’ market (NHL.com, ESPN). In Canada, TSN3 has the game in the Jets’ region (NHL.com). No Canadian national broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 4, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.