Ever since being put together five games ago, the Winnipeg Jets’ top line is dominating and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Connor’s Injury Leads to Superb Line Shuffle
As the old saying goes, adversity breeds excellence.
For the first part of this season, the Jets’ top line was comprised of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Alex Iafallo. But with Connor being taken out for six-to-eight weeks by a Ryan Strome knee-on-knee hit against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 10, head coach Rick Bowness and company were forced to do some wholesale line shuffling.
Bowness united Nikolaj Ehlers with Scheifele and bumped Iafallo, who was going through a long scoring drought at the time, down in the lineup. He tapped Gabriel Vilardi — who had only been back for five games after missing 17 with an MCL sprain suffered in the third game of the season — to take Iafallo’s place.
It turned out to be an inspired move. In their five games together, the new-look top line has combined for 12 goals (63 per cent of the Jets’ tallies in those five games) and 13 assists for 25 points. Needless to say, their play has been among the biggest reasons the Jets have continued to roll and are in a battle for top spot in the Central Division with a 19-9-3 record.
It has been a marvel to watch the trio’s quick chemistry, the speed at which they attack, and their creativity at generating high-danger chances out of nowhere.
The line’s advanced statistics are nothing less than absurd. They have an expected goals percentage of 70.1 and an expected goals per 60 minutes of 4.61. The expected goals per 60 minutes is the best of any Jets’ line combination this season. Their expected goals against per 60 minutes is only 1.98.
Vilardi Has Arrived
Vilardi is suddenly scorching, with six goals and four assists for 10 points in has past four games. It’s safe to say the 24-year-old — who Jets’ brass was hoping would take another step in his development into a consistent scoring threat — has officially arrived.
Vilardi had only one goal and two assists through his first nine games, but is now at 13 points in 13 games. He’s putting his shooting talent, net-front deftness, and stickhandling skills on display with regularity.
“He’s so good around the net because he hangs onto it. He’s so big and strong, got great vision and has patience with the puck of when to pass it and when not to pass it and hang on to it. He’s been very, very impressive for us,” Bowness said after Vilardi had a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 20.
The inspired brand of hockey Vilardi is currently showcasing after a 23-goal 2022-23 is promising, and perhaps partly the result of a little bit of leftover anger.
Vilardi’s MCL sprain that kept him out for six weeks was due to a trip by former Los Angeles Kings’ teammate Blake Lizotte that Vilardi was still angry about upon his return to the lineup on Nov. 30.
“It’s a stupid play,” Vilardi said at the time, disputing any assertion that it was an awkward fall or an accident. “And it’s frustrating to think that guy sits in the box for two minutes and then I have to deal with what I’ve dealt with for the past month and a half.”
Ehlers Still Self-Critical Despite Scoring Success
Ehlers, meanwhile, has four goals and five assists for nine points in his past five games, and has left his slow start (he haf\d just 11 points by the end of November) in the rearview mirror.
Although he’s up to 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) now, he’s been candid and vocal about what he perceives as still-substandard play. “I’ve been playing pretty badly over the last couple of games, so you’ve gotta think it’s going to be a good one tonight,” Ehlers told the Sportsnet broadcast ahead of the game against the Red Wings.
Those comments came after he recorded six points in his past three and had a four-point night against the Kings in a roaring comeback 5-2 win.
After putting up two points against the Red Wings — and making a highlight-reel kick pass that led to the Jets’ final goal — Ehlers still wasn’t happy with his own performance, saying he “played like s—t” for the first and parts of the third periods.
Perhaps his refusal to be self-satisfied and his continual push to improve are just byproducts of being a hockey coach’s son. Wherever that stems from, the Jets will certainly take it.
Scheifele Is Rock Solid
While Scheifele’s numbers (three goals, three assists for six points) don’t jump off the page as much as his linemates, his rock solid play up the middle — in regard to both playmaking and defence — has allowed his linemates to be their best selves.
The Jets are excelling at five-on-five play this season due to a recommitment to team defence. They are not cheating on D to generate offense like they have in seasons past, and instead are trusting that they’re skilled enough to create dangerous offensive looks without getting out of their structure.
Scheifele’s been the poster boy for that recommitment to a stout 200-foot game. He’s been rightfully criticized in the past — by this author included — for his lackadaisical play without the puck, but has exhibited a strong effort in that regard thus far. He’s won 51.3 per cent of his faceoffs and is a plus-12 (he was minus-16 last season.)
“We don’t have to cheat for that if we play the right way defensively. We’ve done that really well,” Ehlers said of the line. “We’re playing the way we want to, most of the time. You want to limit the mistakes we do make. But we’re working hard for each other and that’s important.”
“Our rhythm with each other has been nice, and I just think we have to keep that going,” Scheifele said Wednesday. “They’re (Vilardi and Ehlers) two fantastic players that have a lot of skills and do a lot of things really well. Just kind of want to complement them and keep it going.”
Vilardi’s Success Even Sweeter For Jets Fans Due to Dubois’ Struggles
Going back to Vilardi to finish things off, his success is even sweeter for Jets fans due to Pierre-Luc Dubois’ ineffectiveness.
Dubois — who the Jets traded to the Kings in exchange for Vilardi, Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari back in June — has just five goals and seven assists for 12 points and a minus-5 rating in 29 games: pretty poor numbers for someone making $8.5 million per season and slated to do so through 2030-31. Dubois has fewer goals and points than Vilardi, who has played 16 fewer games.
The return Jets’ general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff got for Dubois looks like a king’s ransom right now (although the true winner of the trade can’t really be determined until we get a few more years down the line.) Not only did Cheveldayoff get rid of a player whose lack of desire to be in Winnipeg was causing a huge distraction, he added forward depth Bowness can deploy — and has deployed effectively — throughout the lineup. Vilardi, Iafallo, and Kupari have combined for 11 goals and 29 points even though Vilardi has been limited to 16 games and Kupari has been limited to 15.
The Jets’ top line will look to keep rolling on Friday, Dec. 22 against the Boston Bruins in their final game before Christmas. Puck drop is 7 p.m. Central at Canada Life Centre.
