The first handful of games in the Scott Arniel era have been extremely impressive: the Winnipeg Jets are off to a 2.0-era-best 5-0-0 start and is the only undefeated team left in the NHL.
Before this season, the Jets had never even started a campaign with three-straight wins in their 13 since being bought and relocated from Atlanta in 2011. Their previous best starts to a season through five games came in 2015-16 and 2020-21, when they wen 4-1-0 each time; the Thrashers also started 4-1-0 in 2009-10.
Numbers & Overall Play Look Encouraging
The Jets’ play over the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, and Pittsburgh Penguins wasn’t perfect; like any other team early in the season, they have some things to clean up. Overall, though, a team that lost more than it gained in the offseason and many thought would take a step backward in a tough Central Division is putting some heady play on display.
Some of the numbers are downright gaudy: the Jets have scored 4.80 goals per game while allowing just 1.60 per game to have a league-best plus-16 goals differential. Their revamped power play is operating at 43.8 per cent efficiency and has looked consistently dangerous; seven players are operating at a point-per-game-plus clip. Connor Hellebuyck has given up just five goals in four starts, owning a 1.25 goals against average and a .952 save percentage.
The first line isn’t producing a ton at five on five but is looking lethal on the man advantage, the second line has popped off in the past two after being quiet through the first three, and the third line is providing solid shutdown services and complementary offence. The defense has done a good job shutting down opponents’ best, not allowing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Connor Bedard, Kirill Kaprizov, Sidney Crosby, or Evgeni Malkin to crack the scoresheet.
They have showcased abilities to win in different ways. They scored in bunches in dominant start-to-finish performances over the Oilers (6-0) and Sharks (8-3,) looked comfortable in close contests against the Blackhawks and Wild that resulted in a pair of 2-1 overtime victories, and most recently came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 6-3 over the Penguins after Arniel lit into his team on the bench.
Jets “Special” When Everyone Buys In
The group is continuing to buy into what their new head coach — who was associate coach for the last two seasons and helped establish a new identity under the now-retired Rick Bowness — is selling.
“It’s a long season and it’s hard to get guys to continually do it every night. But the biggest thing I’ve said about the buy in is the results that come from it,” Arniel said after the win against the Penguins (From “Jets win fifth straight to start season,’ Winnipeg Free Press, Oct. 20, 2024.)
Players are echoing the same.
“I don’t think people understand how good they are in front of you, how much they buy into the system, how much they believe what coach is telling us. It’s rare to have that when the whole team buys in, it’s really special,” Eric Comrie, who got his first start of the season against Crosby and company, said.
“We also have guys committed to play the right way for 60 minutes. That was a product of winning a game a different way than it might look like on a different night,” Mason Appleton agreed.
Jets Have Started Fast Before, But Second Halves Have Been Bigger Challenge
Jets fans could be forgiven if they’re still a bit skeptical about their squad. Five games does not a season make, and they have seen this script before — a torrid start followed by a second-half slump seems to be an annual tradition in Winnipeg.
In 2022-23, they were first place in the Central Division and the entire NHL on Jan. 15, but fell apart in the second half and ultimately just snagged the second Western Conference wild-card spot by the skin of their teeth. They were the first team eliminated from the playoffs.
Last season, feelings of deja vu abounded as they lost their final three before the All-Star break and the first two coming out of it. They clawed back up to first by mid March but then lost six straight to almost fall out of the division’s top three. However, they managed to turn things around in time by winning their final seven-regular season games to ultimately finish second.
After 2022-23, it seemed like big changes were coming to a core whose dedication seemed questionable. However, instead of going into a rebuild, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff renewed his faith in some of his drafted-and-developed talents and conducted a retool that, along with Bowness and now Arniel’s coaching, has the team tight-knit and competitive.
Having a strong second half is something the Jets can set their minds to now, but obviously can’t achieve in October. So far, they have been more than good enough to bank some early points that may be crucial down the line and should keep striving to improve game by game.
Related: Jets Prospects Barlow & He Having Very Different Starts to OHL Seasons
Speaking of down the line, the team’s schedule is about to ramp up in a major way. They enjoyed a four-day break prior to the game against the Sharks and have played just one road game, but now the rubber will hit the road. The contest against the Penguins was the first in an 11-game-in-22-day stretch and the team doesn’t have back-to-back days off again until Nov. 10 and 11. They begin a three-game road trip in St. Louis against the Blues on Tuesday, Oct. 22.