Jets top trio taking charge

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This article was published 21/12/2023 (656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They are the Harlem Globetrotters on skates, dominating possession and zone time while putting up ridiculous, professional vs. peewee type numbers. They are turning heads and opening eyes around the NHL while helping the Winnipeg Jets surge in the standings and look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Yes, the team’s new No. 1 line of Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabe Vilardi has been that good.

Let’s start with the traditional statistics, which are absolutely eye-popping. Vilardi (five goals, five assists), Ehlers (four goals, five assists) and Scheifele (three goals, three assists) have combined for 25 points over the last four games, leading the Jets to a 3-0-1 record in that span. If it feels like something positive is happening every time they step on the ice, that’s because it is.

“It seems like they always score,” Jets forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby said with a laugh following Wednesday’s 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, which improved Winnipeg’s overall record to 19-9-3 (including 7-1-1 in the last nine) to put them on top of the Central Division.

Dig a little deeper and you’ll find this talented top trio is passing more than just the eye test.

Since being put together five games ago after top scorer Kyle Connor went down with a serious knee injury against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 10, Scheifele, Ehlers and Vilardi have created 70.1 per cent of the expected goals while on the ice at even strength. And that includes their very quiet first night together, a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks where they hadn’t even had a single practice yet to gel.

Only one line in the entire league — Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman of the Edmonton Oilers — has a higher percentage so far this season.

Scheifele, Ehlers and Vilardi have directly outscored opponents 9-2, and outshot them 48-22, during five-on-five play. Keep in mind, they’re traditionally out against the other team’s best forwards and defencemen — including the mighty Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche in recent games. In other words, they’re not exactly beating up on fringe players and lightweight opponents.

Just imagine what their stats might look like if the power play wasn’t ice cold (one-for-21 over the last eight games, with the second unit contributing that lone goal).

Vilardi, the centrepiece of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, appears to be the straw really stirring this delicious drink. A popular analytics website called HockeyStatCards compiles a nightly “Game Score” for every player in every game, factoring in multiple underlying numbers including shots, attempts, scoring chances, possession metrics and production.

Vilardi, who has played 13 games this year, has an average score of 1.78. Keep in mind, that also includes the first three games prior to suffering his MCL sprain that would cost him the next 18 contests, plus several games upon his return when he was just getting back up to speed. Yet, there he is, on top of the entire NHL. Nathan MacKinnon is next at 1.74, while the likes of McDavid (1.66), Aleksander Barkov (1.66), Evan Bouchard (1.66), Hyman (1.64), Nikita Kucherov (1.58), Sam Reinhart (1.58), Cale Makar (1.51) and Auston Matthews (1.47) round out the top 10. Talk about some elite company.

The Jets have had a lot of successful No. 1 lines over the years — from Bryan Little, Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler to, more recently, Scheifele, Wheeler and Connor. It’s still early, and the sample size is obviously quite small, but there’s the potential for something truly special brewing with this latest top trio.

“We’re enjoying playing with each other. Obviously playing with Nikky and Gabe, they’ve been playing great. Gabe’s been making a lot of really good plays. I’m sure he’s feeling back to normal. It’s just been fun,” Scheifele said on Thursday.

“I think (Vilardi) is just a guy that does all the little things. He’s always in the right spot, he’s got a good stick, he’s a big body and he likes playing in the O-zone. His style of play I feel like really matches the way I view the game and the way I like to play. He’s just a guy who wants to keep learning, keep growing and he’s showing it. He’s getting better every game, he’s getting more comfortable. He’s been an absolute pleasure to play with.”

Consider this: Vilardi had as many goals in a four-game, seven-day span as Dubois has all year over 29 games. He’s also a year younger than Dubois and making US$5 million less per season. The Jets, of course, also got Alex Iafallo (who has the same number of goals as Dubois and three more assists), Rasmus Kupari (currently injured) and a 2024 second-round draft pick in return. This may not only end up being general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s greatest move of his career, but a franchise-altering one that proves to be among the NHL’s greatest heists in history.

“Our rhythm with each other has been nice, and I just think we have to keep that going,” said Scheifele. “They’re two fantastic players that have a lot of skills and do a lot of things really well. Just kind of want to complement them and keep it going.”

Since Nov. 4, the Jets lead the entire NHL in winning percentage (.738), goal differential (+28) and save percentage (.926). Here’s the scary thing for opponents: There appears to be no sense of satisfaction or complacency creeping in.

Following the latest victory, the Ehlers (one goal, one assist) was asked about the scorching hot play of he and his linemates. His answer was rather unexpected.

“I feel like I’ve played (expletive), excuse my language, the last few games, in the first period and parts of the third. Obviously, we’re scoring goals but we also want to be better — I want to be better,” Ehlers replied.

That’s exactly the kind of stuff coaches love to hear. Ehlers did go on to say how much fun the team is having right now, which was echoed by Scheifele following an optional skate at Canada Life Centre.

“There’s a good feeling in this room. I know for me I just want to keep playing, I just want to stay on the ice and keep playing,” he said. “Obviously the break will be nice, but when we’re going the way we are sometimes you want to just keep playing and just keep the thing rolling. We know we have a big game (Friday), a tough test. It’s going to be fun. The last game before Christmas, so we’ve just got to lay it all out there knowing we have four days off after.”

Indeed, the big bad Boston Bruins are in town for their annual visit, carrying a .733 winning percentage which trails only the New York Rangers for tops in the league. The Jets will then disperse for the holidays, reconvening Dec. 27 in Chicago when they face the 31st-ranked Blackhawks.

“You want to end, before a little bit of a break, on a high note. It’s a big game no matter what, but obviously going up against a tough test like Boston, we’ve just got to be excited for it,” said Scheifele, who is embracing the challenge of matching up against elite opposition.

“We’re here to produce and to be the guys that guys look to and play the right way, score goals and produce for this team. That gives us a chance to win. We were doing that without KC, and obviously miss him a ton. He’s obviously an amazing player and we can’t wait to get him back. But that’s the way this team is, you gotta have the next guy up and be ready to step in and take a bigger role. Nikky has done a great job at that. He’s been playing awesome. And Gabe has stepped his game up as well. That’s what you gotta do when you lose a guy like KC, you gotta get it by committee. That’s what we’ve done.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg