3 Takeaways From Winnipeg Jets’ First 3 Games of 2024-25

The 31-year-old’s torrid start has included a couple of milestones: his overtime winner was his 300th-career goal and the game against the Wild was his 800th. It’s hard to believe he was considered by most to be as good as gone before signing a massive contract last October to likely remain a Jet for life.

Scheifele is currently on pace for 164 over 82 games, and while he obviously won’t reach that, his bids to lead the team in points for the second-straight season and operate at a point-per-game-plus clip for the eight campaign of his career are both off to good starts. Could he also be the first 2.0 Jet to reach 100 points in a season?

2: Special Teams Making an Impact

One of Arniel’s main goals this season was to improve the special teams and have them make a more frequent positive impact than last season. It’s so far, so good on that front in a small sample size.

The power play — which finished 22nd last season with an 18.75 per cent efficiency — is rocking a 42.85 efficiency via three goals in seven opportunities. The regime, now run by assistant coach Davis Payne, hasn’t been perfect but hooked up for two goals against the Oilers and one against the Wild in overtime. They went zero for two against the Blackhawks, with one opportunity looking disjoined and one looking more dangerous.

Connor and Scheifele have scored on the man advantage so far, and that’s a promising sign things are diversifying. Gabriel Vilardi carried the power-play load last season by scoring a team-leading nine despite only playing 47 games.

The Jets’ penalty kill, which finished 21st last season and is now under assistant coach Dean Chynoweth’s watchful eye, has killed all of its shorthanded opportunities. While it has not been called upon heavily — the team has been down a man only five times — it’s been good when it’s mattered.

The regime — which now deploys Scheifele, Connor, and Nikolaj Ehlers in addition to the more traditional bottom-six penalty killers — has been more aggressive on the puck carrier than in past seasons and the hope is that aggression will translate to shorthanded chances. Their biggest kill came late in the third period against the Wild when Rasmus Kupari was sent off for high sticking, not allowing a shot to preserve the 1-1 deadlock and set the stage for Connor’s heroics.

“Last year, the story was that we’d always come out on the wrong side of that or we’d win in spite of special teams,” Adam Lowry said after the game versus the Wild. “It’s nice to have them contribute in a positive manner.” (From ‘Connor works OT magic to propel Jets past Wild,’ Winnipeg Free Press, Oct. 13, 2024.)

A contending team’s power-play and penalty-kill percentages should add up to 100-plus and the Jets’ currently sits at 142.85. That will go down, of course, but the hope is special teams remains a consistent strength as the players get more comfortable with their new assistant coaches’ tactics.

3: Jets’ Defense & Hellebuyck Making Life Tough On Opponents, Especially Big Guns

The Jets, who won the William M. Jennings Trophy last season for allowing the league’s fewest goals, have picked up where they left off by only surrendering two thus far. The defense has done a fairly good job at limiting high-danger scoring chances (allowing an average of fewer than 10 per game) and staying calm in the pair of tight contests. Connor Hellebuyck has been locked in with a .976 save percentage on 83 shots.

They’ve done an especially good job of keeping opponents’ best at bay. First, they kept the deadly duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to three shots, with none of the three shots coming off McDavid’s stick.

They then kept teen sophomore sensation Connor Bedard off the scoresheet, holding him to one shot. The 2023 first-overall pick was also on the receiving end of a textbook hip check by Neal Pionk during a first-period rush attempt.

It was a similar story against the Wild, when they limited Kirill Kaprizov — known as “The Thrill” for his ability to turn a game on its head in a hurry — to four non-high-danger shots.

The only two men to put one in on the Jets are middle-six forward Blackhawks Ryan Donato and Wild defenseman Jake Middleton. Utile players, but not exactly household names.

Quick-Hit Observations

Jets Continue 4-Game Home Stand, Will Honour Hellebuyck and Little

The Jets continue their four-game home stand on Friday, Oct. 18 when they welcome the San Jose Sharks to town. It’s “Hellebuyck Night” at the downtown arena; the team will honour their star goaltender for winning the 2024 Vezina Trophy in what will also be the 500th start of his NHL career.

On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Jets will face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins and honour Bryan Little, who they signed to a one-day contract late last month so he can retire as a Jet. Little was drafted 12th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2006 and was one of the players True North Sports & Entertainment inherited when they bought and relocated the franchise in 2011; he played all 843 games of his NHL career with the Thrashers/Jets franchise, recording 217 goals and 204 assists for 521 points and four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 27 playoff games. His career ended prematurely at 32 years old due to a serious head injury in November, 2019.