Now that we’re 1 / 4 of the best way by means of the 2024-25 NHL season it’s time to verify in on a few of the groups which have exceeded expectations.
All data and statistics are by means of Monday’s video games.
Winnipeg Jets (18-4-0)
The shock right here just isn’t that the Jets are workforce. They’ve been a playoff workforce in six of the previous seven seasons and gained 52 video games a 12 months in the past. The shock is that the Jets are the very best workforce in hockey and managed to get off to the very best 16-game begin in NHL historical past, rolling out to a 15-1-0 begin.
No person noticed that coming.
The driving pressure behind that begin has been one other dominant season from beginning goalie Connor Hellebuyck. He’s main the league with a .929 save percentage, has a league-best three shutouts and isn’t solely making an argument for his third Vezina Trophy because the league’s finest goalie, he ought to in all probability be within the MVP dialogue.
Minnesota Wild (13-4-4)
The Wild have been in a tough spot the previous few years as a result of their wage cap state of affairs has been ruined by the buyouts to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, creating greater than $14M in useless cap area. That is the final 12 months they need to cope with that a lot useless area, and it has definitely put some limitations on to their roster-building. It performed an enormous function in final 12 months’s non-playoff season.
The Wild have bounced again in an enormous approach to date this season and getting into play on Tuesday have one of many league’s finest data at 13-4-4 by means of their first 21 video games. Ahead Kirill Kaprizov is on observe to have among the best offensive seasons in Wild historical past (already as much as 34 points in 20 games) whereas the goaltending duo of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury has produced the third-best save percentage in the NHL.
An elite, MVP-caliber ahead and dominant goaltending can masks loads of flaws.
Calgary Flames (12-7-3)
This was presupposed to be a significant rebuilding 12 months for the Flames after dealing away a number of veterans over the previous two years. Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev and Andrew Mangiapane had been all dealt over the previous six months for future prospects and draft picks, leaving the workforce in a transition interval. The report has not mirrored that as they enter play on Tuesday with a 12-7-3 report.
The offense nonetheless just isn’t nice, however the defensive play and goaltending have greater than made up for it. Rookie goalie Dustin Wolf has been one of many largest constructive developments with a .921 save proportion. That mark ranks seventh out of 38 goalies with at least 10 appearances this season.
Washington Capitals (14-6-1)
The Capitals had been a playoff workforce a 12 months in the past, however they had been one of many worst playoff groups of the fashionable period with a minus-37 purpose differential and had under common rankings in objectives, objectives towards and just about each defensive metric throughout the board.
They went out of their method to ensure that was not going to occur once more by fully revamping their roster within the offseason, including goalie Logan Thompson, heart Pierre-Luc Dubois, ahead Andrew Mangiapane and defensemen Matt Roy and Jakob Chychrun. It has paid off in an enormous approach because the Capitals have the fourth-best factors proportion (.690) within the league.
The Capitals have re-tooled their roster over time as core gamers have gotten older, and so they not solely seem like a playoff workforce this season they seem like one which may have an opportunity to truly do one thing once they get there.
