The Winnipeg Jets cannot be stopped.
The NHL’s top team over the first month of the 2024-25 season added another two points to their ledger Tuesday night, downing the Utah Hockey Club 3-0 in their first-ever trip to Manitoba.
Nino Niederreiter scored twice in his 900th career NHL game, and Connor Hellebuyck made 21 stops for his second shutout of the season as the Jets won their fourth in a row in a game that didn’t have a lot of quality scoring chances.
“Obviously the game wasn’t very pretty,” said Niederreiter. “There wasn’t a lot of flow out there and I think that’s something which we knew, and we just knew we had to stick with it. Do the little things right and eventually you create your own luck, and that’s what happened there.”
The Jets now have an NHL best goal differential of +32 in the first 13 games. The New York Rangers are the next best team at +20.
Kyle Connor was kept off the scoresheet for the first time of the new campaign as his season-opening point streak came to an end at 12 games.
Gabriel Vilardi notched the other Jets marker for his fourth goal in his last five games. He’s now riding a five-game point streak.
The Jets are just the sixth team in NHL history to win 12 of their first 13 games of the season.
“We’re finding different ways of winning,” said head coach Scott Arniel. “And whether that’s playing a heavy, hard, dump and chase game, if that’s a skill game. If that’s getting to the inside. If it’s our specialty teams.
“We’re finding ways to get in games, and stay in games, and get the outcome that we need.”
The Jets, with the league’s most potent power play, were 1-for-2 on the man advantage, and have scored a power play goal in six straight games now. They also killed off all four of their penalties successfully.
“PK (penalty kill) did great,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “Power play did great, great goaltending, 5-on-5 play was awesome, so sorta the four categories I felt like were all there, and it’s just a solid win.
“Did I think we’d be sitting here at 12-1? Who knows, but at the same time, I really feel confident about our group.”
Winnipeg controlled the action for the bulk of the first period, outshooting Utah 12-6 despite Utah having the lone power play of the period but neither team could find the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes.
The stalemate continued through much of the second as each team failed to generate high-quality chances despite multiple power play opportunities.
Winnipeg killed off both Utah power plays in the second and failed on their own early in the period but in the closing minutes, they finally cashed in.
With the top unit still on the ice despite Dylan Guenther’s penalty nearly expiring, they were struggling to connect on passes but kept the puck in the Utah end before breaking through. Mark Scheifele fed Morrissey for a one-timer that was tipped by Vilardi past Karel Vejmelka to open the scoring with 2:03 left in the second.
Winnipeg carried the 1-0 lead into the second intermission as well as a 22-13 edge in shots on goal.
After a fairly dull start to the third period, Niederreiter made it 2-0 at the 7:30 mark. With Adam Lowry drawing a defender to him as he cut through the slot, Mason Appleton fed the trailing Niederreiter who made a nice move on Vejmelka before tucking it in for his sixth goal of the season.
Not long after the Niederreiter goal, Logan Stanley was called for hooking, sending Utah to their fourth power play of the night, but once again the Jets killed it off.
Utah pulled Vejmelka for an extra attacker with just over three minutes left but it didn’t take long for Winnipeg to get possession of the puck and for Niederreiter to pot his second of the night to seal the win.
Connor nearly extended his season-opening point streak in the final minute, but he hit the inside of the post from close range.
It was the 39th career shutout for Hellebuyck.
The Jets will look to keep rolling Thursday night when they host Colorado in a rematch of their first round playoff series from the spring.