<p><em>A team&#8217;s biggest rivals might be the teams in their own division, but eventually the eight teams on the other side of the conference will factor in too. Last month, we looked at all seven team in the Pacific and how stiff the competition will be in the Canucks&#8217; quest to repeat as division champions. Over the course of this week, we&#8217;ll be looking at last year&#8217;s top four Central Division teams &#8211; the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets &#8211; and next season&#8217;s race for top spot in the Western Conference. Today we&#8217;re heading to Winnipeg to take a look at the Jets.</em></p>
<p>Ever since their arrival from Atlanta in 2011, the Winnipeg Jets have been a mystery box of a team. One moment they&#8217;re playing like a heavyweight capable of a deep playoff run, and the next moment every single wheel falls off the wagon simulataneously.</p>
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<p>We got a speedrun edition of the Jets experience during 2023-24. The vibes started strong after both Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck signed long term deals to stay in Winnipeg, and the Jets looked like a surprise juggernaut heading into the postseason. And in Game 1 of their series against the Avalanche, they walked the walk with seven goals on Alex Georgiev.</p>
<p>They would end up scoring just eight more goals in the rest of the series, as the Avs took the next four games in a romp. And no one embodied the Jets&#8217; roller coaster more than Connor Hellebuyck, who went from putting together his second Vezina Trophy winning campaign to allowing 5+ goals in all five games against Colorado.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="What caused the Jets downfall vs.  Avalanche?" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fPPjSEnIs4Q?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>But no matter what kind of season the Jets are having, they&#8217;ve always seemed to be among the Canucks&#8217; stiffest competition. Winnipeg took two of three contests against Vancouver, though the Canucks&#8217; lone 5-0 victory ranks among their biggest statement games of the regular season.</p>
<p>The Canucks&#8217; inability to beat the Jets consistently is only made more confusing on paper, with both roster lining up pretty evenly. The Jets have built a roster predominantly out of homegrown talent, with Scheifele, Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers leading the charge. What Winnipeg lacks in firepower compared to the Canucks, they make up for with overall team chemistry and physicality throughout the lineup.</p>
<p>On the blue line, the Jets have employed a &#8220;defence by committee&#8221; approach that&#8217;s worked extremely well. While Morrissey is an All-Star in his own right, his supporting cast is among one of the most capable defensive groups in the NHL that routinely flies under the radar league-wide. And in goal, the Jets are one of the only teams that can match the Canucks. When they&#8217;re not battling for the Vezina, Hellebuyck and Thatcher Demko will also undoubtedly be fighting for the starting job on Team USA in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.</p>
<p>The Canucks have made a conscious effort to build a heavier roster with more scoring depth, both aspects that should serve them well against the Jets. And if they were paying attention to Winnipeg&#8217;s series against the Avs, they&#8217;ll know the secret to besting Hellebuyck is as simple as creating screens and multi-layered traffic in front of shot attempts.</p>
<p>With those adjustments, the Canucks might have a shot at winning their first season series against the Jets since 2015.</p>
<h3>Standings Prediction</h3>
<p>4th in the Central Division, 7th in the Western Conference</p>
<h3>Season Series</h3>
<p>January 14 @ Canada Life Centre</p>
<p>March 18 @ Rogers Arena</p>
<p>March 30 @ Canada Life Centre</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
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<em>A team's biggest rivals might be the teams in their own division, but eventually the eight teams on the other side of the conference will factor in too. Last month, we looked at all seven team in the Pacific and how stiff the competition will be in the Canucks' quest to repeat as division champions. Over the course of this week, we'll be looking at last year's top four Central Division teams - the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets - and next season's race for top spot in the Western Conference. Today we're heading to Winnipeg to take a look at the Jets.</em>

Ever since their arrival from Atlanta in 2011, the Winnipeg Jets have been a mystery box of a team. One moment they're playing like a heavyweight capable of a deep playoff run, and the next moment every single wheel falls off the wagon simulataneously.
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We got a speedrun edition of the Jets experience during 2023-24. The vibes started strong after both Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck signed long term deals to stay in Winnipeg, and the Jets looked like a surprise juggernaut heading into the postseason. And in Game 1 of their series against the Avalanche, they walked the walk with seven goals on Alex Georgiev.

They would end up scoring just eight more goals in the rest of the series, as the Avs took the next four games in a romp. And no one embodied the Jets' roller coaster more than Connor Hellebuyck, who went from putting together his second Vezina Trophy winning campaign to allowing 5+ goals in all five games against Colorado.

https://youtu.be/fPPjSEnIs4Q?si=NHHwNLxvDm0IDwzs

But no matter what kind of season the Jets are having, they've always seemed to be among the Canucks' stiffest competition. Winnipeg took two of three contests against Vancouver, though the Canucks' lone 5-0 victory ranks among their biggest statement games of the regular season.

The Canucks' inability to beat the Jets consistently is only made more confusing on paper, with both roster lining up pretty evenly. The Jets have built a roster predominantly out of homegrown talent, with Scheifele, Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers leading the charge. What Winnipeg lacks in firepower compared to the Canucks, they make up for with overall team chemistry and physicality throughout the lineup.

On the blue line, the Jets have employed a "defence by committee" approach that's worked extremely well. While Morrissey is an All-Star in his own right, his supporting cast is among one of the most capable defensive groups in the NHL that routinely flies under the radar league-wide. And in goal, the Jets are one of the only teams that can match the Canucks. When they're not battling for the Vezina, Hellebuyck and Thatcher Demko will also undoubtedly be fighting for the starting job on Team USA in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Canucks have made a conscious effort to build a heavier roster with more scoring depth, both aspects that should serve them well against the Jets. And if they were paying attention to Winnipeg's series against the Avs, they'll know the secret to besting Hellebuyck is as simple as creating screens and multi-layered traffic in front of shot attempts.

With those adjustments, the Canucks might have a shot at winning their first season series against the Jets since 2015.
<h3>Standings Prediction</h3>
4th in the Central Division, 7th in the Western Conference
<h3>Season Series</h3>
January 14 @ Canada Life Centre

March 18 @ Rogers Arena

March 30 @ Canada Life Centre

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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