The 2023-24 season is right around the corner, which means it is now time for me to predict every single upcoming Winnipeg Jets regular season game. They have a good but not elite team that will be cheered on by a passionate fan base, which could mean disaster if the Jets don’t get the right bounces or start the season off slowly. With no room for error, it’s critical that they don’t waste what could be their last chance with its current core of players. Players such as Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti staying healthy could be a huge difference between making the playoffs and not.
For reference, any away game will be signified with an “at” before the team name while a home game will just be the team name of who Winnipeg is playing. Furthermore, a Jets win will be signified by bolding the team they are playing, while a loss will be represented by normal text. Lastly, a shootout/overtime loss will be represented as normal text with a singular asterisk beside it.
Games 1-10
Games: At Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles (LA) Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, at Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, at Detroit Red Wings, at Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Vegas
Results: 5-5-0
The first ten games will all be about the ebbs and flows as the Jets will showcase a little bit of rust. They will start off the season 2-0-0 with a road victory over the Flames and a home win against a Florida team facing the effects of a potential Stanley Cup (appearance) hangover. I don’t see them beating any of their next three tough Pacific Division opponents falling to 2-3-0. After taking care of business at home against the Blues, the Jets will keep their offence rolling beating the Canadiens on the road to improve to 5-3-0. The first ten games of the season will come to an end with a pair of losses versus the Rangers at home and a Western Conference showdown in Vegas.
Record through 10 games: 5-5-0
Games 11-20
Games: At Arizona Coyotes, at St. Louis, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Coyotes, at Tampa Bay Lightning, at Florida at Nashville
Results: 7-3-0
The theme of the next ten games will be the Jets separating themselves from the mushy middle with seven wins and only three losses to the Devils, Stars and Lightning. The remaining seven games are against teams with a lower-quality roster and feature a five-game home stand within this stretch. This stretch will be crucial in Winnipeg showcasing they aren’t going to be a stepping stone for other teams.
Record through 20 games: 12-8-0
Games 21-30
Games: Stars, Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, at Colorado Avalanche*, at Anaheim Ducks, at San Jose Sharks, at Kings*, Avalanche, Canadiens
Results: 4-4-2
This stretch of the season is a tough one as Winnipeg takes on a handful of elite hockey teams while also having a four-game road trip against all three California teams and in Colorado to take on the Avalanche. The Jets will start off extremely rough going 1-3-1 in games 21-25 before closing out games 26-30 going 3-1-1. Thankfully the dreaded California road trip isn’t so bad now that only the Kings are a quality-caliber team.
Record through 30 games: 16-12-2
Games 31-40
Results: 6-3-1
Games: Red Wings, Boston Bruins, at Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild*, at Wild, Lightning, at Sharks, at Ducks, at Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jets have a relatively easy schedule for the next ten games, unfortunately, they face another three-game West Coast road trip during this span. No excuses, the Jets need to convert these easy away games to victories or else they won’t be a playoff team. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt to take care of business against every team in this stretch except for Minnesota and Columbus.
Record through 40 games: 22-15-3
Games 41-50
Games: Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, at Ottawa Senators, at Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Maple Leafs, at Pittsburgh Penguins, at Flyers, Penguins*
Results: 6-3-1
Every team in the NHL faces a similar strength of schedule over the course of a full season. However, there are instances where a smaller portion tends to be easier. The Jets find themselves in another “softer” portion of the schedule as they play a team that made the playoffs last season in just three of their ten games. Highlighted by two separate home-and-home showdowns with the Maple Leafs and Penguins, the other six games should be winnable if the Jets play up to their potential.
Record through 50 games: 28-18-4
Games 51-60
Games: Sharks, at Vancouver Canucks, at Calgary Flames*, Wild, at Blackhawks, Coyotes, Blues, at Stars, at Hurricanes, at Sabres*
Related: 3 Challenges Facing Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness in 2023-24
Results: 5-3-2
This is a tougher stretch with games against the Wild, Stars and Hurricanes. I have the Jets securing a couple of loser points (overtime/shootout loss) in order to churn out another successful ten-game stretch given the quality of their competition. At this point of the season, we will fully know what kind of team Winnipeg is. Based on my predictions, they should be in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.
Record through 60 games: 33-21-6
Games 61-70
Games: Seattle Kraken, at Kraken*, at Canucks, Washington Capitals, Predators, Ducks, at Blue Jackets, at Rangers, at Devils, at Islanders
Results: 6-3-1
Sound the alarm bells, are the Jets actually good? According to my predictions, they definitely seem to be the real deal. Off the backs of a 6-0-2 point streak in games 60-67, the crowd at Canada Life Centre is gearing up for its second consecutive “Winnipeg Street Whiteout Party.” Rick Bowness has the Jets playing seemingly great hockey.
Record through 70 games: 39-24-7
Games 71-82:
Games: at Capitals, Oilers, Golden Knights, Senators*, Kings, Flames, at Wild, at Predators, at Stars, at Avalanche*, Kraken, Canucks
Results: 5-5-2
Here is where the softer portions of the schedule in the middle of the season come back to bite the Jets. Wow, are these final 12 games a doozy; six games versus bonafide contenders and a couple against playoff hopefuls. If the Jets can take care of business against the weaker teams such as the Canucks, Capitals and Predators it should be enough to get into the playoffs as a wildcard team.
Record through 82 games: 44-29-9 (97 points)
Predicted to be Powered by Consistency
Based on what you just read, I have the Jets going 23-16-2 at home and 21-13-7 on the road, which would be a slightly worse home record but a much-improved road record. By playing a more consistent game, the Jets will be a better road team which would help propel them to a second consecutive appearance in the postseason. Lastly, it is worth noting that when I did this last season, I predicted the Jets to get 87 points and they ended up with 95 (off by eight points). Given how volatile the NHL is, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the Jets finish eight points above or below my 97-point prediction. This means that a relatively probable outcome for the 2023-24 Jets is somewhere between 89 and 105 points.
