Starting the New Year in Toronto: Winnipeg Jets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game Day

When I think of NHL games on January 1st, I normally think of the NHL Winter Classic. However, that’s not until tomorrow night in Miami. Tonight the Jets play their first game of 2026 at Scotiabank Arena. The Jets suffered their seventh straight loss against the Red Wings on Wednesday evening. Even though it was another “good” game for the team, the goals again did not stop there. The host Maple Leafs are currently averaging 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Jets are a disappointing 1-6-3 in their last ten games and are now at the very bottom of the NHL standings.

The now 32nd overall 15-19-4 Winnipeg Jets and the 21st overall 18-15-6 Maple Leafs will battle each other this New Year’s Day, looking for two points to start their 2026. The Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs have not yet matched up this regular season. After tonight, the season series will conclude on January 17 in Winnipeg. The Jets are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games against the Leafs, with most games ending up being high scoring.

The injury report for the Winnipeg Jets is empty again. Josh Morrissey played the last game and seemed fine after being listed as day-to-day. The Maple Leafs still have some injury issues, with six players listed on their injury report. Dakota Mermis and Brandon Carlo have lower body injuries that will keep them out for a few days to a week. Dakota Joshua and Anthony Stolarz have upper body injuries that will keep them out for 2 to 4 weeks. Chris Tanev has a groin injury that will likely keep him out for January, and William Nylander has a minor lower-body injury that puts him on the day-to-day list.

Jets projected lineup

Connor–Scheifele–Vilardi

Perfetti – Toews – Iafallo

Barron-Lowry-Pearson

Niederreiter – Namestnikov – Nyquist

Morrissey-DeMelo

Samberg – Pionk

Stanley Schenn

Comrie

Hellebuyck

The unconfirmed starting goalkeeper is Eric Comrie, who will make his first appearance since Hellebuyck returned from injury. After Comrie’s most recent start, he now has a record of 6-8-1 with a GAA of 3.30 and an SV% of .885. The rest of the Jets lineup appears to be largely unchanged, with the exception of Jonathan Toews at center on the second line and Vladislav Namestnnikov at center on the fourth line. As usual, some lineup changes may be announced by the Jets prior to the game, so keep an eye on the Jets official X/Twitter account for any late additions or changes to the lineup before the puck drops.

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Knies – Matthews – Domi

Macceli – Tavares – McMann

Cowan–Roy–Robertson

Lorentz – Laughton – Jarnkrok

Reilly Myers

McCabe-Ekman-Larsson

Benoit-Stecher

Wool

Hildeby

The Maple Leafs lineup has some notable players with injuries, but there are still several young talents and some new faces in the lineup that can play in a variety of situations. Looking at the Leafs’ player stats through 39 games, the injured William Nylander leads the way with 41 points in 33 games. Joseph Woll is the unconfirmed starting goalkeeper. Woll hasn’t started as many games as he would like so far this season due to injury, but he is now back as the Leafs’ starting goaltender. Joseph Woll will start with Hildeby as the backup while Stolarz is out, and Woll has an 8-4-1 record with a 2.51 GAA, 1 shutout and a .920 SV%.

Jets player to watch: Mark Scheifele

Tonight the player to watch from each team is a 1st line forward. Mark Scheifele has had a great 2025-2026 season so far, but it wasn’t enough for him to make the Canada Olympic Hockey Team. Now that he’s playing his first game since being “cut” from the team, you know Scheifele will have some extra motivation to prove that he should have been a member of this team. In 38 games, Scheifele has 18 goals and 27 assists, good for 45 points. The scoring consistency continues for the Jets first line, and this includes Scheifele, who leads the Jets with 5 points in his last 5 games.

Maple Leafs player to watch: Matthew Knies

Without Mitch Marner on the team and Nylander out of the lineup, Knies is now the “number 2” option on this Maple Leafs team in terms of scoring. Knies has 35 points in 36 games and leads the Leafs with 6 points in their last 5 games. Whenever Knies is on the ice, the Leafs seem to find a way to produce quality shots on goal when lined up in the zone. The Jets will obviously also have to watch out for Auston Matthews, making sure they limit the Leafs star players’ shot attempts whenever possible. Keep an eye on Knies tonight as the Jets try to slow down one of the rising stars of this Leafs lineup.

The Puck Drop in Toronto takes place just after 6pm CST. Tonight’s game will be the first game of 2026 for the Jets, so they are eager to start their new year by ending their current seven-game losing streak. Stay tuned here to Jets Nation for a recap of the action as the Jets look to win an all-Canadian game on the road.

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