May 5, 2021

Ten #NHLStats about the Winnipeg Jets, who are headed to the postseason for a fourth straight year and sixth time in franchise history.

1. Winnipeg’s four consecutive playoff appearances date to 2018, when the Jets earned their first two series wins in franchise history to reach the Conference Finals. Winnipeg fell to Vegas in five games that year.

2. The only other playoff appearances in franchise history came in 2007, when the club was based in Atlanta, and 2015, their fourth season in Winnipeg. In the franchise’s first trip to the postseason, the Atlanta Thrashers were swept by the New York Rangers in the 2007 Conference Quarterfinals. The second saw the return of the “Winnipeg Whiteout” as the city welcome the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 19 years, but also resulted in a sweep – this time to the Anaheim Ducks in the 2015 First Round.

3. While the current Jets have never faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers or Montreal Canadiens in the postseason, the original Jets competed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 times, including six head-to-head series against the high-powered Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s and early 1990s, going 0-6 in those series. Winnipeg, however, enjoyed postseason success against Edmonton when it played in the WHA prior to joining the NHL in 1979-80 – the Jets captured the Avco World Trophy three times over seven seasons (1976, 1978 & 1979), including a six-game triumph against the Oilers in the WHA’s final championship series before both clubs joined the NHL.

4. Mark Scheifele owns the most career playoff goals in franchise history (16), with 12 of those coming as a visitor. In 2018, Scheifele set NHL records for road goals in a single playoff series (7 in R2 at NSH) and in a playoff year (11) – notching two of those tallies in a winner-take-all showdown as the Jets won the first Game 7 in franchise history (their only one to date). He holds the distinction as having scored the most total goals in a single playoff year (14) and in a playoff series (7) among all Jets players – from either the current or former iteration.

5. Blake Wheeler is the all-time franchise leader in playoff assists and points. Wheeler (Plymouth, Minn.) can become the first player born outside Canada to captain one of the active Canadian NHL franchises to a Stanley Cup.

6. Connor Hellebuyck has accounted for all 12 of the club’s postseason wins, owning a career record of 12-15 in 27 playoff appearances (2.53 GAA, .917 SV%, 2 SO). He is the only goaltender to have the decision for every playoff victory by an active NHL franchise; two netminders did so for defunct clubs (Gary Smith w/ Oakland Seals/California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons and Roy Worters w/ Pittsburgh Pirates/Philadelphia Quakers).

7. Paul Stastny leads all current Jets in career playoff goals (25), assists (42), points (67) and games played (97), including 6-9—15 in 17 games for Winnipeg in 2018 (a year in which he led the club with three game-winning goals).

8. New to the club this year, forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor Lewis also bring playoff experience to the Jets lineup.Duboisaveraged a point-per-game in the 2020 postseason with the Columbus Blue Jackets (4-6—10 in 10 GP), highlighted by a hat trick against the Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers which included scoring the overtime winner. Lews is the only Stanley Cup winner on the roster, winning with the Los Angeles Kings in both 2012 and 2014 (11-12—23 in 79 GP).

9. Kyle Connor scored the only playoff overtime goal in franchise history in Game 4 of the 2019 Second Round when he beat eventual Stanley Cup champion Jordan Binnington to even the series with the St. Louis Blues.

10. Paul Maurice, who has served the most regular-season games as an NHL head coach without winning a championship, reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2002. Assistant coach Charlie Huddy won five Cups as a defenseman with the Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 & 1990), while fellow assistant Dave Lowry, father of Jets forward Adam Lowry, skated in the Final twice (1996 w/ FLA and 2004 w/ CGY).

COURTESY NHLmedia.com