End of latest win streak just a mere blip on the radar for high-flying Jets
When all is said and done, this past month may go down as the defining portion of the 2024-25 season for the Winnipeg Jets. Why? Jacob Stoller breaks it down.
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We’ve been spoiled by this Winnipeg Jets team.
The Jets are sitting atop the NHL standings at the 60-game mark, with a double-digit cushion on first place in the Central. They’ve got the best goaltender in the world, the league’s best power play. And it’s been that way virtually all year long.
So that’s why, to some, the Jets’ recent 11-game win streak — which came to a halt after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Nashville — elicits a proverbial shrug.
It’s understandable to be desensitized to Winnipeg’s latest franchise milestone, not only because it’s rattled off eight- and seven-game win streaks already this season, but the 4 Nations Face-off interrupted the momentum.
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The players haven’t made a big deal of it, either.
“It was cool to look back on, but you got to move on,” Jets forward Kyle Connor told reporters in Nashville on Thursday.
However, when it’s all said and done, this past month may go down as the defining part of the 2024-25 season. Why? We saw season-long weaknesses mold into strengths.
The second line of Nikolaj Ehlers, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti became an asset.
After being offensively stagnant for half a season, that trio has found a way to spend prolonged periods in the offensive zone, make plays in transition and generate offence. (In 11 games, Perfetti has 12 points, Ehlers has 11 and Namestnikov has 10.) They’ve provided Winnipeg with a much-needed second wave of attack behind Mark Scheifele’s line.
Five-on-Five Stats: Ehlers — Namestnikov — Perfetti
|
Time Period |
GP |
Minutes |
xGF% |
SCF% |
HDCF% |
|
Before Jan. 22 |
35 |
107 |
49.7 |
47.7 |
40.6 |
|
Since Jan. 22 |
11 |
307 |
62.8 |
54.3 |
59.3 |
“They’re up and running, and you can tell they’re in sync with each other,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said after defeating the Hurricanes on Feb 4. “I really see it when they get in the offensive zone, how they make those 10-foot passes to each other and kind of scissor cycle. They kind of (stay) close together and somehow they come out of that sort of pileup, and there’s one of them going to the net all by himself and somebody gets a real good look. They feed off of each other real well.”
The Jets penalty kill has quietly made positive strides.
Over their last 11 games, the Jets have killed off 80.8 per cent of their minor penalties. Although that’s only a slight bump on how they performed up until their recent streak (79.4 per cent), the underlying numbers paint an encouraging picture. They’re surrendering significantly less shots and chances against.
Jets Penalty-Kill Stats
|
Time Period |
TOI/GP |
SCA/60 |
HDCA/60 |
SA/60 |
|
Before Jan. 22 |
4:17 |
56.52 (15th) |
26.22 (24th) |
52.19 (17th) |
|
Since Jan. 22 |
3:58 |
41.11 (2nd) |
19.19 (7th) |
46.69 (7th) |
And then there’s their play on five-on-five.
In the games before this streak — particularly after losing 3-1 to the Flames on Jan. 18, in a game where they posted 39 shots — Arniel spoke a lot about needing to generate more traffic in front of opponents’ goalies. More greasy goals. During the 11-game streak, the Jets recorded 2.07 five-on-five high-danger goals per 60 minutes — the third-most in the league, a sizable jump up from their previous body of work (1.28, which ranked 13th).
A lot of the talk surrounding this team has been centred on growth. Now, just like this recent win streak itself, that narrative may be growing old for some.
While everyone wonders what earth-shattering moves GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could make, winning streaks like these — and the underlying numbers behind them — may compel Winnipeg to not tinker too much with what it has going.
Call it cliche, but part of what’s made this Jets team so dangerous is the shared experience of the core. They’ve been embarrassed together. Evolved together. And they want to win together.
That’s not to say this team doesn’t have a couple holes to fill throughout the roster. It sure could use a top-pairing defenceman alongside Josh Morrissey. And, in a perfect world, you’d get an upgrade on Vladislav Namestnikov.
But with the buyers market still looking like slim pickings a week away from the deadline, surely there’s a few voices in the Jets war room pondering: Do we really want to tinker with what we have?
