Usually, late January is the time of the year when the Winnipeg Jets are scrambling to get to the break and starting to slump. In 2025, the tables have turned, as the Jets find themselves red-hot on a five-game winning streak, the latest being an impressive 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins last night.
Winnipeg Jets’ forward Parker Ford scores in his NHL debut
Parker Ford made his NHL debut for the Winnipeg Jets last night and scored his first career NHL goal, in what was an incredible moment.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
The undrafted forward from Wakefield, Rhode Island, grew up a Boston Bruins fan and had plenty of family members in attendance. When asked what he saw on his goal, he said: “Couldn’t really tell you, to be honest. I just blacked out a little bit. But yeah, it was great.”
He also took a moment to reflect on his hockey life up until this point, and what this moment meant to him with his family and friends in attendance.
“I’d say, my whole life I’ve wanted to do this for my family,” Ford said. “It’s probably going to be emotional when I go see them here. They’ve done so much, and I feel like I owe it to them to have a little bit of fun coming to these games.”
He was overwhelmed with emotion in the postgame press conference with a huge smile on his face, and when asked about the rookie lap, he said: “That was great. No bucket on, just tried to stay on my feet and have a good time.”
Scott Arniel was asked about Ford and spoke about the magnitude of his goal and appearing in his first NHL game.
“Yeah, that was fun. Great to see for a hometown kid to come in and get a chance to do that in this building. I know him and his family are going to remember that for the rest of their life.”
What second-half slide?
How often have we seen the Winnipeg Jets stumble into the all-star break, and the dominant narrative around this time of year is that they “need” the break?
This year, the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off might work against the Jets and halt their momentum. This win secured their fifth straight victory, all of which have come without their captain, Adam Lowry.
Boston tied the game up 2-2 early in the third period with a shorthanded goal, but Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers immediately responded with goals, quickly giving the Jets a 4-2 lead and they never looked back.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
In January, the Jets went a solid 9-3-2, which was the second-best record in the Western Conference in the month.
In January, they fared well compared to the rest of the NHL in the following categories:
- 20 points (4th)
- 66% five-on-five goal share (2nd)
- 36% power play (2nd)
- +18 goal differential (1st)
- 38 goals for (1st)
Their underlying analytics, otherwise known as the “process” that coaches and players often reference, were strong in January as well. Here they are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick:
- Expected goals percentage: 56.33% (5th)
- High-danger chances percentage: 60.25% (2nd)
- Scoring chances percentage: 54.91% (4th)
- Shot attempts percentage: 53.06% (7th)
Not only have the Jets been getting incredible goaltending and own the best power play in the NHL, but their five-on-five game has been strong over the month of January. If they can continue that up until the break and beyond, this team will be in solid shape ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.
Mark Scheifele ties Ilya Kovalchuk for all-time franchise goal lead
With his second goal of the night, Mark Scheifele tied Ilya Kovalchuk as the all-time franchise leader in goals with 328.
“Yeah, obviously a huge honour,” Scheifele said. “Very, very special. He was a fantastic player. Like I’ve said before, I’ve played with some pretty fantastic players who set me up in those positions, so it all goes to them.”
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Scheifele now sits alone in second place in the NHL in goals with 31. He has been on an absolute tear since being left off of Team Canada’s roster at the Four Nations Face-Off, and last night against Team Canada GM and Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney, he came through once again with another strong performance.
This milestone was an opportunity for Scheifele to reflect on his time here in Winnipeg, and all 328 goals he has scored here.
“It’s very humbling,” Scheifele said. “You grow up as a kid, hoping to play in the NHL one day, and to reflect on that it’s pretty special and obviously (I’m) very happy to be a part of this group of guys. It’s a fantastic team and a fantastic organization.”
Up next
The Winnipeg Jets will look to continue their winning ways on Saturday when they take on the Washington Capitals. To kick off February, the Jets will be the top team in the NHL, taking on the #2 team, in Washington, on Hockey Night in Canada. That game should be all types of fun as we near the break.
Stay tuned to Illegalcurve.com for all the latest Jets and Moose news over what should be a busy weekend.
