We’ve officially passed the halfway point of this Winnipeg Jets regular season, and the buzz around the team continues to grow.
Not only in Manitoba, either. Tune into any national hockey show and they’re taking notice of this edition of the Jets.
There was the eight wins in a row before Saturday’s loss to Philly, and the 14 straight games with a point, but most impressive might be the streak that remains ongoing.
Winnipeg has now gone 32 straight games without allowing more than three goals — which is only three games away from the modern-day record set by the 2014-2015 Minnesota Wild.
To put that in perspective, Tuesday’s opponent, the New York Islanders, have allowed more than three goals in five of their last 10 games.
Here in Winnipeg, Connor Hellebuyck has been fulfilling his Vezina trophy potential, and was rightfully chosen as the Jets’ all-star representative when the NHL’s best meet in Toronto on Feb. 1.
I mean, the numbers don’t lie. Winnipeg is the only team in the NHL that has allowed fewer than 100 goals so far this season.
But over the weekend, we found out “Helly” won’t be going alone, as head coach Rick Bowness officially received his invitation to attend an all-star game for the first time in his 14 years as an NHL bench boss.
For coaches, the honour goes to those who have their teams in first place in their respective divisions … so of course the NHL’s number one team when sorted by points percentage has to be included.
When asked, Bowness was quick to deflect and call it a team accomplishment. But let’s call it what it is: a feather in the cap of the man who has helped change the culture in Winnipeg and put his team in the mix as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.