The Winnipeg Jets continue to sit atop the NHL standings at 16-3-0 after a week that featured their first true skid of the 2024-25 season. That feels insane to say, given the fact the Jet only have three losses, but it’s true. Two of those losses came consecutively, and made team look human for a stretch.
It’s been a couple of weeks since the last notebook, but for the most part, a lot of the same storylines have continued to develop. Regardless, here’s what has stood out over the last while.
Connor, Scheifele, and Vilardi Look Like a True Top Line
After what appeared to be another slow start for the trio of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi has started to show what they can do as a true top-line. Over the past two years, those three had been inconsistent in terms of production you would expect from an NHL top line, but over the past several games, they seem like they’ve turned a corner.
Related: Jets’ First Line Going From Liability to Strength
After the Jets’ 6-3 win over the Florida Panthers that was punctuated by a Scheifele hat trick, the line has once again surged past the breakeven mark in goal differential. One of their calling cards early in the year was how they could score occasionally, but give up way more against. Now, 19 games into the season, the trio has now outscored their opponent 13-12 while on the ice together.
Something else worth noting is their underlying stats creeping up into the positives. Their expected goal differential has finally moved back into the positive at 50.7%, while their Corsi (shot attempts) has climbed up near that 50% mark at 49.9% (Moneypuck). The Jets’ best Corsi is held by the Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton line at 52.8%, which is good for 12th best in the league among forward lines with at least 120 minutes.
Fighting Back Against Reigning Cup Winners
The home-and-home series against the Panthers was a tale of two teams for the Jets. In the first game, they looked behind in almost all aspects of the game. This came after a losing effort against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and while it was only the third loss of the season, it appeared that some warning bells were raised.
The response? Taking care of business at home in front of a sold-out crowd. The Jets snapped their short-lived losing streak and schooled the Panthers and won 6-3. A lot of this, as mentioned above, came on the back of an outstanding performance from the top line and specifically Scheifele, who scored his ninth career hat trick.
What this showed was more than just a bounce-back effort, but more a mentality to snap out of their sluggishness that we saw on the road trip to the Sunshine State. This is what seems different about this team, and I know that’s easy to say about a 16-3-0 team, but it’s true. Even at their highest point last season, it felt like they were one loss away from it all falling apart, which it did in the first round of the playoffs. At least early on this season, the adversity has seemed like more of a motivator.
After First Slide of the Season, Another Test Awaits
While they managed to fight back and get back into the win column, it won’t get any easier down the stretch for the Jets. After a trip to play the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, they face the Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars in consecutive games over a seven-day span.
It’s been said a lot lately, but these are the games to help fortify just how good of a team they are. All four of those teams are in the top ten in the NHL standings and are all looking up at the Jets as the team to beat.
The Jets have done a great job of banking points early, but now it’s less about points and more about performance. These are the league’s best and the Jets are heading on the road to try and prove a point. They’re the top team in the NHL, and it’s up to those other teams to try and knock them down. At least early this year, the mentality for the Jets appears to be, “We’d like to see them try.”
Notebook News Clippings
A few newsworthy stories from the past week or so, keeping you up to date with all Jets information.
- Connor Hellebuyck was voted as the likely favorite for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender, voted on by 15 NHL.com writers. He was the unanimous pick as the favorite, as he received 15 first-place votes. (Nov. 20, 2024)
- Jets’ head coach Scott Arniel was listed as the early Jack Adams Award favorite as the league’s best coach in a recent NHL.com poll. (Nov. 19, 2024)
- Defenceman Ville Heinola was activated from injured reserve (IR) and assigned to the Manitoba Moose for a conditioning stint. He has been on IR since the first week of training camp when an infection flared up in his surgically repaired ankle. (Nov. 18, 2024)
- The Jets re-claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche after losing him on waivers earlier this season. With the Jets being the only team to submit a claim, they were able to send him directly to the Moose. (Nov. 12, 2024)
