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 number of the groups which have exceeded expectations.
All information and statistics are by means of Monday’s video games.
Winnipeg Jets (18-4-0)
The shock right here shouldn’t be that the Jets are a superb crew. They’ve been a playoff crew 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 most effective crew in hockey and managed to get off to the most effective 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 share, has a league-best three shutouts and isn’t solely making an argument for his third Vezina Trophy because the league’s greatest goalie, he ought to in all probability 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 state of affairs 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 need to cope with that a lot lifeless area, and it has definitely put some limitations on to their roster-building. It performed a giant function in final 12 months’s non-playoff season.
The Wild have bounced again in a giant method to this point this season and coming into play on Tuesday have one of many league’s greatest information at 13-4-4 by means of their first 21 video games. Ahead Kirill Kaprizov is on monitor to have the most effective offensive seasons in Wild historical past (already as much as 34 factors in 20 video games) whereas the goaltending duo of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury has produced the third-best save share within the NHL.
An elite, MVP-caliber ahead and dominant goaltending can masks a number of flaws.
Calgary Flames (12-7-3)
This was speculated to be a serious 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 file has not mirrored that as they enter play on Tuesday with a 12-7-3 file.
The offense nonetheless shouldn’t be nice, however the defensive play and goaltending have greater than made up for it. Rookie goalie Dustin Wolf has been one of many largest optimistic developments with a .921 save share. That mark ranks seventh out of 38 goalies with no less than 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 aim differential and had beneath common rankings in targets, targets in opposition to and just about each defensive metric throughout the board.
They went out of their technique to ensure 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 a giant method because the Capitals have the fourth-best factors share (.690) within the league.
The Capitals have re-tooled their roster through the years as core gamers have gotten older, and so they not solely seem like a playoff crew this season they seem like one that may have an opportunity to truly do one thing once they get there.
