We did it, everyone!
On October 29 the Winnipeg Jets beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-1 in a game that was, in a word, cathartic. As goal after goal went in, October’s tension loosened, then faded. By the time Blake Wheeler emptied the arena of its head wear, all of this recent handwringing about top six vs. bottom six, skill vs. depth, and Brandon Tanev vs. puck possession barely registered as memory – the game simply was that euphoric.
And then, just two nights later, Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head for a 2-1 win over Minnesota. Mark Scheifele followed that by giving Winnipeg its second hat trick inside of a week in a 5-2 win over Dallas and now, one month into the season, the Jets sit fourth in the Western Conference.