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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNDec 2, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The first quarter of the 2024-25 NHL season is in the books, having produced a few juggernaut teams counterbalanced by preseason favorites who have cratered early on — including the Boston Bruins, who fired coach Jim Montgomery after 20 games.
What can the best and worst from the first chunk of the schedule tell us about what’s yet to come this season?
Here are my NHL awards and superlatives for the first quarter of the season, from outstanding achievements to bitter disappointments to some unfathomable goalie gaffes.
The Jets aren’t lapping the field. The Minnesota Wild have caught up to them in the Presidents’ Trophy race. Teams like the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils are right in their rearview mirror. By the end of the quarter, Winnipeg was a lot like these other hot starters: Banking points early to decrease the pressure later in the season.
What separates the Jets from that pack is their utter dominance in banking those points. Through 24 games, Winnipeg was second in goals per game behind Washington, second in goals against per game and team save percentage behind Minnesota, with the second best power play behind New Jersey.
We went deep inside the numbers recently to figure out how Winnipeg became this early-season steamroller. Connor Hellebuyck is the most obvious advantage, not only in having the world’s best goaltender in the crease, but in what that does from a confidence perspective for everything else they’ve done. “Everybody knows if you don’t have goaltending, it makes for a long year. So Helly gives us that foundation,” head coach Scott Arniel said.
When Rick Bowness retired, Arniel moved up from associate coach and unlocked something in this group. Of course, it helps to have a receptive group. Back-to-back first-round exists — including one courtesy of the Colorado Avalanche last spring that left them…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/42721846/nhl-2024-25-awards-best-worst-players-teams-goals-trends
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-12-02 11:53:00
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