Now that we’re 1 / 4 of the best way by way of the 2024-25 NHL season it’s time to test in on a number of the groups which have exceeded expectations.
All data and statistics are by way of Monday’s video games.
Winnipeg Jets (18-4-0)
The shock right here isn’t that the Jets are a very good crew. They’ve been a playoff crew in six of the previous seven seasons and received 52 video games a 12 months in the past. The shock is that the Jets are the very best crew 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 one noticed that coming.
The driving drive 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 most likely be within the MVP dialogue.
Minnesota Wild (13-4-4)
The Wild have been in a troublesome spot the previous few years as a result of their wage cap scenario has been ruined by the buyouts to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, creating greater than $14M in lifeless cap area. That is the final 12 months they must cope with that a lot lifeless 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 method to this point this season and coming into play on Tuesday have one of many league’s finest data at 13-4-4 by way of their first 21 video games. Ahead Kirill Kaprizov is on monitor to have probably the greatest 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 a whole lot of flaws.
Calgary Flames (12-7-3)
This was alleged 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 crew in a transition interval. The document has not mirrored that as they enter play on Tuesday with a 12-7-3 document.
The offense nonetheless 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 share. 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 crew 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 targets, targets in opposition to and just about each defensive metric throughout the board.
They went out of their method to guarantee that was not going to occur once more by utterly 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 method because the Capitals have the fourth-best factors share (.690) within the league.
The Capitals have re-tooled their roster over time as core gamers have gotten older, and so they not solely appear to be a playoff crew this season they appear to be one that may have an opportunity to really do one thing once they get there.
