Winnipeg Jets: 6 things to watch for on upcoming six-game road trip

The Winnipeg Jets’ 20th game of the 2024-25 season will kick off a six-game road trip tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is the longest road trip of the season for the Jets, who will play six games in the next 10 days. 

Here are six things to watch for on the upcoming six-game trip. 

Ville Heinola potentially to make season debut

Ville Heinola could make his season debut on this trip, as he’s slated to join the team on Sunday after playing two games with the Manitoba Moose. The  Jets’ 2019 first-round pick had been sidelined since day one of camp after undergoing surgery on his ankle. 

For what it’s worth, that first day of camp, he was paired with Colin Miller on what would’ve likely been Winnipeg’s third pairing to begin the season. Scott Arniel is eager and willing to get Heinola into NHL action sooner rather than later. 

“I’m his biggest fan. I want to see him in games.”

As for the plan for Heinola through the weekend, Arniel joked that he wants to see Heinola play a ton over the weekend. 

“I told Mo to play him thirty minutes down there,” Arniel said. “But he’s gonna get all situations. He’s gonna play a 10:30 game on Thursday and I think a 2 O’clock game on Saturday and then he’ll be flying into Minny. So, hopefully, knock on wood everything works out but he’ll be back on Sunday.”

Provided all goes well in Heinola’s two games with the Moose, we may potentially see him on this upcoming trip. The Jets’ third pair has been solid, with both Logan Stanley and Haydn Fleury playing alongside Miller, but if Heinola can step in, that pair could show an even higher ceiling.

Top line looks to continue their hot stretch

The Jets’ top line is playing at an incredibly high level right now, as after a slow start to the season, they have completely turned their start around. 

Since Oct. 30th, they have outscored their opponents 12-3 at five-on-five. They have also controlled 57.73% of the expected goals, out-chanced their opponents 74-58 (56.06%), and have doubled their opponents in high-danger chances at 32-16 (66.67%). 

Mark Scheifele has led the way in two of the biggest wins for the Jets during that stretch, scoring two goals against the New York Rangers and a hat trick against the Florida Panthers. 

In the 5-0 loss to Florida, that line struggled mightily, but they redeemed themselves on Tuesday night, something Scott Arniel was looking for. 

“It was just that they wanted the challenge. I love the way they went out and went after it,” Arniel said. “They knew we weren’t at our best in Florida. They wanted to turn that script around. I just thought starting those guys would be a way to get them into it right away.”

Power play looks to hold league-best mark

The Jets remain atop the league in power play percentage (35.7%), which has been an incredible turn from the 22nd-ranked power play that they held in 2023-24. It’s one of the biggest reasons they have jumped out to a 16-3-0 start to the season, as it has become a massive advantage game-in and game-out. 

As they hit the road to take on strong Western Conference competition, can the power play keep clicking along at an extremely high rate? They are eighth in expected goals for per 60 on the power play. While they continue to shoot at an extremely high level on the power play, it’s clear that they are generating at a high level as well. 

Cole Perfetti looks to halt pointless streak

Cole Perfetti has hit his first extended scoring slump of the season. In his past seven games, he has posted zero goals and just two assists, as well as no points in his last four. 

This isn’t a massive concern, as Perfetti was red-hot after a slow three-game start to the season and, in that stretch, proved that he can produce in bunches. He has 13 points throughout the season, and as the Jets get set to face tough competition on the road, they will need that line and Perfetti to produce. 

Over the past seven games, while Perfetti’s production has dipped, his line has still controlled over 50% in expected goals percentage, Corsi, and scoring chances. They have also broken even in goals, as they have scored two and allowed two goals over that time. 

Continue showing their ability to push back

The Jets showed their ability to bounce back on Tuesday when they avenged a 5-0 loss with a 6-3 win over the Panthers. Arniel mentioned in the post-game press conference how important that was for their group.

“We knew how much better we had to be,” Arniel said after the loss. “But the biggest thing was just our players weren’t real happy with what happened. Coming home, that was a long flight home for us from Florida. It started yesterday and in practice today and into the game today, we were determined that we wanted to make sure that the outcome was better.”

If needed, the Jets will need to showcase their ability to bounce back against strong competition. 

Tough competition on the longest road trip of the year

This six-game road trip will feature games against the Penguins, Predators, Wild, Kings, Golden Knights, and Stars. 

Three of those teams made the playoffs last season (LAK, VGK, DAL), and the Wild have gotten off to a red-hot 12-3-3 start to their season. With wins over the Rangers, Panthers, and Stars, the Jets have proven that they can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the NHL, and this road trip will offer another great test. 

With six games in 10 days, the Jets’ strong depth will be tested. How much will Eric Comrie play with such a tight run of games, and can the fourth line step up in a game or two to provide more secondary scoring? 

With this trip featuring three different time zones, six games in 10 nights, and strong tests against some of the top competition around the league, there will be plenty of storylines that arise throughout the trip. As the hockey season seemingly gets busier by the day, stay glued to illegalcurve.com for all the Jets and Moose coverage.