The Winnipeg Jets are having an amazing start to the season, winning 15 out of their first 16 games, a record no team in NHL history has achieved before. They’re undefeated on the road and lead in both scoring and defense, with an average of 4.56 goals scored per game while allowing only 2.13 goals against them.
While it’s hard to imagine maintaining such a high winning rate all season, they seem set for the President’s Trophy. The Jets are six points ahead of New Jersey, who have played more games than anyone else so far. Minnesota and Florida trail further behind with fewer points compared to Winnipeg’s impressive total of 30.
A big part of their success lies in their power play, which operates at a stunning 42.2%, potentially setting a new league record. Yet, they’re surprisingly low when it comes to drawing penalties, ranking just 22nd overall with only 55 penalties drawn . Fans might wonder if this mix of strengths and weaknesses will hold up as the season goes on.
Jets’ Offense and Defense: A Closer Look
The real test for Jets fans could be how well they perform during regular play without power plays (5v5). They’re ninth in scoring during these situations but some stats suggest they might slow down soon. MoneyPuck shows their expected goals rank much lower at 19th place. They’ve also got an unusually high shooting percentage at 14.5%, which is above what past top teams have managed.
On defense, Connor Hellebuyck shines bright as he leads goalies with his wins and save percentage (.934) among those who’ve played five or more games. Despite this strength in goalkeeping, the team allows quite a few shots against them—29.35 per game—and ranks poorly here at eleventh worst.
Fans might think that despite these challenges, the Jets can still finish strong by relying on key players like Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers having career-best seasons; Josh Morrisey contributing over one point each game while playing extensive minutes; plus Hellebuyck’s stellar performance between posts.
But even though Winnipeg looks like a Stanley Cup contender now due to its fantastic start—facing tough rivals from Minnesota or Dallas—they may not keep this pace throughout since some numbers hint they’ll face difficulties later on.
So what do you think? Can they keep flying high or will they come back down?
