The Winnipeg Jets’ power play is scoring at a historic 33.8% rate. What changed?

Through 55 games, the Winnipeg Jets sit on top of the NHL standings with 79 points. In the 2023-24 season through 55 games, they had racked up 75 points. 

So, what is it that is different about this year’s Winnipeg Jets? 

Look no further than their power play, which has gone from the bottom third of the NHL to scoring at a historic rate. The Winnipeg Jets’ power play is currently clicking along at a 33.8% success rate, which would be an NHL record for the best power play of all time if it held until the end of the season. 

The Winnipeg Jets’ power play is flying high

In an interview with Winnipeg Sports Talk on June 8, 2024, former Winnipeg Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness said: “If our specialty teams had been average, we probably would have won the Presidents’ Trophy, we were that close to it.” 

The Jets finished last year with 52 wins, 110 points, and the best five-on-five goal share in the NHL. However, their power play was below average at 18.8% (22nd), and that cost them not only during the regular season but also during round one of the playoffs. 

Not only has that changed for the better this season, but the Jets’ power play has skyrocketed to historic levels. The current single-season record for best power play was the Edmonton Oilers in 2022-23, who finished first in PP% that season at 32.4 percent. When they set that record, it was the highest mark since 1977-78, which is when the league started tracking PP%. 

There is quite a ways to go, but it’s safe to say that this power play has put forward a large enough sample to comfortably say that it is no fluke, and the results you are seeing in the Jets record are right in line with what Rick Bowness said this past offseason.

The craziest part of the Jets having a historic power play is that all five players on their top unit were on the team last year. A change in personnel on the top unit and a change in philosophy has made a world of a difference. 

If you’re looking for an example of the Jets’ power play separating themselves from elite teams, look no further than their last two wins, against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. The Jets won the special teams battle on Saturday night in a 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals, going 1/2 on the power play. On Tuesday night, they went 2/4 against the top penalty kill in the NHL in the Carolina Hurricanes (85.4%) on the way to a 3-0 victory. 

In addition to having the top penalty kill, Carolina had not given up a power play goal in their last seven games. It’s the second unit getting it done as of late, as they have scored in three straight games, and accounted for both power play goals on Tuesday night against Carolina. 

According to the TSN broadcast from Tuesday’s game, the Jets have scored a power play goal in 63.3% of their games, which is first in the NHL by nearly ten percent. That consistency on the power play comes from their process being elite, shooting luck, and having a second unit that picks up the slack when the top unit fails to score. 

The Davis Payne-led process is leading to greater results

The Jets brought in new assistant coaches this offseason, hiring Davis Payne to run the power play and the forward group. When asked about the historically good power play, Payne noted that they focus on the process more than the result. 

“Yeah, there’s not a lot of focus on end results,” Payne said. “We basically stick to the process about what we want to do, how we want to do it. And we’ve got good players out there that are finishing off plays.”

“It’s something we take a great deal of pride in and we just want to make sure we’re continuing to focus on how we do things, more so than end results.”

When we dive into the numbers, we see that the process they are sticking to is much improved from a season ago. 

Simply put, these numbers tell us that they are shooting the puck more and generating more chances than they were a season ago. Those numbers from Natural Stat Trick, combined with their league-best 24.08 shooting percentage on the power play, have resulted in them becoming the league’s top unit and a force to be reckoned with.

Players have taken note of the improved tempo, as the Jets are seemingly playing with more urgency on the power play, which has resulted in a few extra points in the schedule because of it.

“I think there’s a pace that we’re playing at and executing at that we haven’t had in the past,” Morrissey said. “We’re on the same page, and we’re getting opportunities in different ways, often from down low, up top, on the flanks and the slots. We want it to be a strength of our team and something that can get us back into games and close games out, or put a game out of reach.”

Last season, the puck was glued to Mark Scheifele’s stick on the power play. Jets fans clamoured for more puck and player movement with the man advantage, and Davis Payne has come in and preached exactly that. 

It also helps when you have a threat as dynamic as Gabriel Vilardi down by the side of the net. 

“He’s got great vision. He can also shoot the puck, and he’s not afraid to go into the blue paint to score goals. That’s a pretty good recipe.” Payne said of Vilardi, who is currently the Jets’ leader in power-play goals (11). 

Nikolaj Ehlers has reshaped the unit

Another element of the Jets power play that is new this year, is Nikolaj Ehlers being up on the top unit. For the last number of seasons, he had been on the second unit, and it wasn’t effective. On the power play in 2023-24, he had zero goals and seven assists. Through his 45 games this year, he’s already racked up four goals and 14 assists. 

“He’s got world-class skill,” Payne said about Ehlers. “Obviously with his ability to operate with pace. Whether it’s to enter (the zone) with pace, whether it’s to support with pace, whether it’s to make a decision with the puck quickly, that’s the skill set that that area of the ice requires… and whether it’s a shot or whether it’s a relay to a different shot option, he’s done a real good job of that.”

The main selling point with keeping Ehlers on the second unit throughout the years was always that he played the same position as Scheifele. That was until Payne came in and moved Ehlers into the “pop” position in the middle of the power play. He placed his best five offensive talents on the top power-play unit and made it work. 

Davis Payne, Nikolaj Ehlers, and the rest of the Jets’ power play and coaching staff deserve a ton of credit for revitalizing the power play and turning it into something that will be a major advantage for the Jets when the playoffs roll around. 

For the time being, they have their sights set on winning the Central Division and the Western Conference, and if their power play stays this hot, they have a better chance than anyone to secure it.