The Winnipeg Jets are on a historic run right now. They have put together a franchise record point streak of 11 games, going 9-0-2 in that span, and their latest was a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
With this win on the second night of a back-to-back, the Jets moved into sole possession of the #1 spot in the NHL. They leapfrogged the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche on this night as their winning streak improved to five games.
From this specific game, there was plenty to take away, as the Jets once again flexed their muscle against one of the teams in the NHL near the bottom of the standings.
Winnipeg Jets’ Defensive Structure Remains NHL’s Best
The Jets are doing something historic on the defensive side of the puck. They have now gone 28 straight games where they have allowed three goals or less, which is second-best in the modern era of the NHL (since 1967). They are building another streak, and they have gone 16 straight games allowing 2 goals or less in regulation. The only game of the last 16 where a team has hit the three-goal mark, was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
This lineup, and everyone that is a part of it, is fully bought in on the defensive side of the puck. You combine that with the elite-level goaltending they have been receiving from Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit, and this team has fully established itself as a defensive juggernaut. Brossoit was fantastic yet again on this night, stopping 36 of 37 shots thrown his way.
With the defensive structure in front of him, Hellebuyck is once again a favourite for the Vezina Trophy. He owns a 19-6-3 record, with a .921 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.28 goals-against average (GAA). By Money Puck’s tracking, he also leads the NHL in goals saved above expected with 15.4. We have not seen numbers like this, especially the low GAA, from Hellebuyck since the 2017-18 season, which speaks to just how well this team is playing right now.
Nate Schmidt, who scored his first goal of the season on this night, spoke to the consistency of the 2023-24 Jets in the post-game, stating: “Every time they had a push I thought we pushed back, and I think that’s a huge part of our group this year, and that’s been really fun to be around just knowing what you’re going to get out of our guys… it makes it a lot easier to play when you have that level of predictability in your game.”
The Jets have undoubtedly been a consistent group this year, especially when looking at their five-on-five metrics, and tonight’s contest was no different.
Jets’ Special Teams are Slowly Getting Back On Track
Outside of the five-on-five game has been a struggle for Winnipeg, but as Rick Bowness said in the post-game, “That’s now back-to-back games our special teams have won us the game. I thought the penalty kill was outstanding… that six-on-four at the end guys were diving at shots trying to keep that puck out, but that third goal was timely, it was our first and only power play it was nice that it connected.”
Cole Perfetti netted his 11th goal of the season on the power play, as Winnipeg’s second unit got on the board after Gabriel Vilardi and the top unit gave them a goal on Thursday night against San Jose. That’s now back-to-back games with a power play goal for the Jets, which has been a rare sight so far in the 2023-24 campaign.
The Jets’ power play and penalty kill have both been below-average units so far this season, and many fans have been patiently awaiting the turnaround from those respective units. I’m not here to say all problems are fixed, but these past two games have definitely been a step in the right direction when it comes to winning games with their special teams, and the hope is, it carries over against some stronger competition in the future.
The Winnipeg Jets are the Number One Team in the NHL
As they picked up the two points, the Jets now sit at a record of 25-9-4, which gives them the #1 spot in the NHL. Bowness has completely turned this team around from two seasons ago, and they have provided plenty of reasons why they will avoid a 2022-23-esque collapse.
Related: Jets Navigating Kyle Connor’s Absence With a Balanced Attack
This team isn’t relying on Hellebuyck to steal wins as often, they have shown time and time again that they do not fold when they go down early in games, and they just set a franchise record point streak without their top scorer in Kyle Connor. Defensively, this team is unbelievably consistent, and that is something that will be sustainable over the back half of the season.
Their power play percentage is bound to rise when Connor returns from his six-to-eight-week injury, and with their five-on-five game sure to remain among the NHL’s elite, they will be in the fight for the #1 seed in the Western Conference throughout the back half of the season.
The Jets are back in action on Sunday, January 7, against the Arizona Coyotes. They will look to keep their three-goals or-less streak alive, look to pick up their sixth straight win and look to improve their franchise-record-setting point streak to 12 straight games. Safe to say they are the hottest team in the NHL right now, and with upcoming games against the Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks, they have a chance to keep pushing these streaks even further.
