Canadiens beat Jets 5-1 to extend points streak to 5 games

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson each had a goal and two assists, Samuel Montembeault stopped 36 shots to earn his first win since Jan. 17 and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Rookie Oliver Kapanen, Lane Hutson and Phillip Danault, also scored for the Canadiens, who are 4-0-1 during a five-game points streak and 6-2-1 in their last nine.

Montembeault, who made his first start since Jan. 24, had given up three or more goals in five of his six previous starts.

Kyle Connor scored for the Jets and Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves.

Winnipeg took an early 1-0 lead when Connor scored his 25th goal on a one-timer during a power play at 6:07 of the first period.

Kapanen, who’s heading to the Olympics for Finland, got his 18th goal 10 minutes later when a rebound went off Jet Cole Perfetti’s stick right to him and he then flipped the puck past a sprawled Hellebuyck.

Montreal went ahead 3-1 at 6:44 of the second after goals 76 seconds apart by Anderson and Hutson.

The Jets missed a chance to pull closer then they hit a post and Montembeault later snagged a close-in shot by Dylan DeMelo. They were also stymied on four shots on goal during a power play early in the third.

Gallagher’s goal came with 3 seconds left on a power play at 10:57 of the third. Danault put the puck into an empty net with 14 seconds remaining to cap the scoring.

Canadiens: Host the New York Islanders on Feb. 26.

Jets: At Vancouver on Feb. 25.

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Winnipeg Jets' Kyle Connor scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault (35) as Cole Perfetti (91) looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Lane Hutson (48) scores on Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during the second period of an NHL game in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher (11) and Kirby Dach (77) celebrate Gallagher's goal against the Winnipeg Jets during the third period of an NHL hockey game, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault saves the Winnipeg Jets shot during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Oliver Kapanen, second right, celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets with Ivan Demidov, left to right, Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets are bringing Coby White back home to North Carolina, where he is the state’s career high school scoring leader and played for the Tar Heels.

The Hornets agreed to acquire White and Mike Conley Jr. from the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in exchange for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three future second-round draft picks, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to be approved by the league.

In a separate trade, the Hornets also acquired guard Tyus Jones and second-round picks in 2027 and 2028 from Orlando in exchange for cash, the person said. The move allowed the Magic to get under the luxury tax.

The Hornets announced earlier in the day they had acquired Dieng and a second-round pick from Oklahoma City for center Mason Plumlee.

White, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 draft, joins a Hornets team that is surging toward its first playoff appearance in a decade, having won seven straight games behind a young core of players.

He averaged 18.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game for the Bulls, shooting 34.6% from 3-point range — down slightly from his career average of 36.8%.

Although it's unclear where he fits into the Hornets' rotation, White gives Charlotte yet another scorer join LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges. The Hornets are 23-28 and currently 11th in the the Eastern Conference, but they are 12-1 when they've started a lineup that includes Ball, Miller, Knueppel, Bridges and center Moussa Diabate — all of whom are now healthy.

Knueppel has won three straight Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards, while Miller was named last week's conference Player of the Week.

The 25-year-old White has spent seven seasons with the Bulls, averaging 15.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

Sexton has been Ball's primary backup at point guard this season and has given the Hornets a boost off the bench, averaging 14.2 points and 3.7 assists in 42 games while shooting 39.3% on 3s.

White scored 3,573 points for Greenfield High School in Wilson, North Carolina, from 2014-18.

White played one season in college at North Carolina before turning pro. He continues to host youth basketball camps on campus during the offseason.

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton, top, and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. look to a referee in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket as Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)