The Winnipeg Jets are off to the best start in NHL history, having captured 14 wins in their first 15 games. They were originally tied with the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators with 13 wins in their first 14 games, but have now surpassed them to stand alone.
With such a torrid record comes many strong numbers, and some are downright ridiculous. Here, we’ll dive into five in that latter category.
67: Goals For
The Jets have filled the net more than any other team this season with 67 goals, an average of 4.47 per game. They have scored five goals once, six goals four separate times, seven goals once, eight goals once, and had a three-game streak where they scored 6-plus in each. Their 14.3 shooting percentage is second-highest in the league, and their 25 high-danger goals for is good for eighth.
IN THE HISTORY BOOKS š pic.twitter.com/0eLFgduPYN
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 9, 2024
The next-highest-scoring team entering Monday (Nov. 11) is the New Jersey Devils, who have 62 and have played three more games.
The Jets finished a modest 15th in goals for last season with 259. This season, if they keep up the current pace, they will score 366.
11: Players With Double-Digit Points
The Jets’ scoring has come by committee and they are a consistent threat because they have three lines more than capable of producing offence and also get plenty from their back end. 11 players ā Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Gabriel Vilardi, Cole Perfetti, Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Mason Appleton ā have 10-plus points. That’s everyone on the top three lines and two defensemen.
The fact Connor and Scheifele, who are tied for the team lead in points with 19 each are not even in the top 10 in league scoring (they are tied for 13th) shows just how much the Jets spread their scoring around. Opponents can never take a shift off, regardless of who’s on the ice.
āItās real simple for me. Itās such a team effort,ā new head coach Scott Arniel said after the Jets’ most-recent victory, a 4-1 triumph over the Dallas Stars on Nov. 9.
āThis isnāt Helle (goaltender Connor Hellebuyck) winning every game. This isnāt Scheifeleās line winning us every game. To me, this is 23 guys. This has been unbelievable in the sense of how everybody has contributed. Whether thatās blocking shots or making little detailed plays, defending, but obviously scoring goals.ā
41.86: The Jets’ Power-Play Percentage
Much ink has been spilled and many words have been typed already this season about the Jets’ smoking-hot revamped power play, but it’s deserved.
First-year Jets’ assistant coach Davis Payne has taken a below-average regime (22nd last season) and crafted it into the league’s best using the same personnel, an extremely impressive feat of coaching. The power play has almost become a real-life cheat code, operating at a 41.86 per cent clip (18/43,) scoring at least one power-play goal in 11 separate games, and scoring multiple power-play goals in five.
Both units Payne has assembled have looked consistently dangerous and move the puck in wonderfully-creative new ways, with the first unit (Ehlers/Vilardi/Scheifele/Connor/Morrissey) cashing in for 10 goals and the second unit (Niederreiter/Namestnikov/Perfetti/Alex Iafallo/Pionk) cashing in for eight.
āYouāve seen that in multiple games where if our unit doesnāt score, the first unit will come out and get a big one for us and vice versa. Itās really important to have two threats on the power play and we donāt give any team any breaks on the penalty kill,ā Perfetti, who has three power-play goals and three power play assists, said recently. (From āJets enjoying success as Connorās game matures,āĀ Winnipeg Free Press,Ā Nov. 5, 2024.)
Related: 3 Reasons the Jets Have Improved Over Last Season
While 41.86 per cent is likely not sustainable, those waiting for regression haven’t seen any yet and the season is approaching its quarter mark. It’s not inconceivable the power play could be a 25-plus per cent regime by the time things are said and done in April.
191 Minutes, 47 Seconds: Hellebuyck’s Shutout Streak
It was surprising when Hellebuyck let in a goal against the Stars.
This author is only being half facetious. It was beginning to seem the 2024 Vezina Trophy winner would never have the red light on behind him again.
Hellebuyck allowing a Roope-Hintz-deflected puck past him in the 58th minute against the Stars ā when the masked man has lost his stick during a scramble ā was the first goal he and the team had allowed in 191 minutes and 47 seconds, a Jets 2.0 franchise record.
191:47 ā the longest shutout streak in franchise history.
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 10, 2024
CONNOR VEZINABUYCK pic.twitter.com/VK5gQmnmVz
Before Hintz’s tally, the last guy to pot one was the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov at 6:51 of the third period on Nov. 3, a marker which was a complete fluke and arguably an own-goal by Namestnikov. They shut out the Utah Hockey Club and the Colorado Avalanche in between.
While Arniel is right that the team isn’t relying on Hellebuyck to steal them games as much as they have in past seasons, there’s no doubt he’s been great and is not only the front-runner for another Vezina at this point, but also the Hart Memorial Trophy for NHL MVP. Through 12 starts, Hellebuyck sports an 11-1-0 record, minuscule 1.83 goals against average, .935 save percentage, a 12.11 goals saved above expected, and three shutouts. There certainly hasn’t been any new-contract hangover.
7: Wins When the Opponent Scores First
One may assume given the Jets record and the numbers we looked at above that they are just blowing the doors off teams from start to finish, but that isn’t the case. They have actually only scored the game’s first goal seven times, but early deficits have been no problem as they are 7-1-0 when the opponent fires the opening salvo. They have also come back from two goals down to win twice: on Oct. 20 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins and on Nov. 3 against the Lightning.
The Jets simply show no panic when falling behind and from top to bottom, it seems they trust the system Rick Bowness implemented and Arniel has continued to preach in his first season behind the bench. Even when losing, they stick to their structure and appear confident they will generate enough chances to get back into a game without abandoning their defence-first focus. Knowing they have a balanced attack and that Hellebuyck is behind them further boosts their faith in themselves.
This faith has helped them bank a bunch of points already ā even when they play less than perfectly ā and shows their evolution into a group with a well-established identity that doesnāt fade away when adversity arises.
There’s no doubt scoring first is better, though. The Jets, who finished with 52 wins and 110 points last season, scored first in 41 games that campaign and won 35 of them. They went only 17-20-4 in the 41 games the opponent scored first. The team that scores first in a game has won roughly 66 per cent of the time in the regular-season over the past decade,Ā according to hockey analyst Dr. Alain Hache, so it’s likely the Jets will see some regression from their 87.5 winning percentage when not scoring first.
Jets About to Embark on Tough Road Trip
The Jets, who just swept a four-game homestand, will embark on a three-game eastern road trip versus high-quality opponents that will reveal just how elite Winnipeg is. They face the New York Rangers in the Big Apple on Tuesday (Nov. 12,) then visit the Lightning again on Nov. 14 before heading to Florida for a matchup against reigning Stanley-Cup-champion Florida Panthers on Nov. 16.