Jets on Fire: Can Winnipeg Sustain Their Historic 14-1 Start?
After being eliminated in the first round of the NHL Playoffs a season ago in five games by the Colorado Avalanche, the Winnipeg Jets entered the brand-new season with ambitions of redeeming themselves and proving others wrong. In an offseason that saw productive goal-scorer Sean Monahan depart for the Blue Jackets and defenseman Brenden Dillon leave for the New Jersey Devils in free agency, fans wondered what impact the loss of their production would have on the Jets' roster. However, through the first 15 games of this season, the Jets have found immediate success despite some roster changes, sitting in a blazing hot start to their 2024-25 regular season. Now, the question is, can the Jets keep their red-hot start going all season long and potentially into the postseason?
In their latest victory, a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars on November 9th, the Jets pulled off their sixth straight win, improving to 14-1-0 for 28 points and sitting in first place in the Central Division. With the Jets' remarkable start to the season, their win over the Stars set an NHL record, making them the first team to win 14 of their first 15 games to begin a season. In the win, some of the most impactful players who have helped lead the Jets to their fast start were on full display. Winger Nikolaj Ehlers knocked in his ninth goal of the season on the power play, which ties him with teammate Kyle Connor, who also has nine goals, for the team lead. For any team to achieve long-term success over an 82-game season, their best players must step up when needed most, and that's exactly what the Jets have gotten from Ehlers and Connor, two of their most potent scoring threats. In particular, this fierce duo has found their best success on the Jets' power play, with Ehlers scoring three goals on the man advantage and Connor adding four, leading the Jets to have the best power play unit in the NHL, with a 41.9% success rate.
Along with the Jets' offensive success, leading the league in goals per game with an average of 4.47, the team has continued to receive premier goaltending from two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. At 31 years old and in his 10th season, Hellebuyck is having his best season yet, with the four-time All-Star holding an 11-1-0 record, the third-best goals-against average at 1.83, the second-best save percentage at .935, and leading all goaltenders in shutouts with three. Most notably, Hellebuyck's franchise-record shutout streak came to an end against the Stars, finishing at 191:47 without allowing a goal and recording consecutive shutouts for the first time in his career. This performance led to Hellebuyck being named the NHL's First Star of the Week.
Looking ahead, the Jets face one of their more challenging stretches of games, with a three-game road trip beginning this week. The trip starts in New York against the Rangers, followed by games in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. After their brief road trip, which concludes with a home-and-home matchup against the Panthers, the Jets will head back on the road for a season-long six-game swing, starting on November 22nd against the Pittsburgh Penguins. With a .933 winning percentage so far this season, the Jets' record-setting start has positioned them well as a perennial contender in the Western Conference for the rest of the season. If the Jets can maintain even a fraction of the success they have had through 15 games, they will be set for what could be a franchise-best season.
