Graubünden forward Nino Niederreiter (32) is living a fairy tale in the first straight of the NHL championship with his Winnipeg team. After 12 of the 82 matches scheduled in the regular portion of the calendar, the Jets are in fact sitting in the driver’s seat of the North American professional league with a record that borders on perfection: 11 successes, 1 disappointment, 22 points.
On the provisional podium, the Manitoba club is surrounded by the Florida Panthers, winners of the 2024 Stanley Cup (19 points). And the Minnesota Wild (18).
The group coached since the start of the campaign by Ontarian Scott Arniel currently constitutes the greatest offensive power among the 32 teams in the league. He has already made the lamp glow 59 times. The victory recorded Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7-4) gave credence to the thesis that the Jets were a franchise to be taken seriously.
In front of her audience, she erased a two-goal deficit to take on one of the NHL’s supposed ogres. Nino Niederreiter, who assumes a more defensive winger role than during his flashier years in Minnesota, once again weighed on the destiny of his team. While playing his 899th regular season match, the colossus of Chur not only distilled the puck from 4-3 to New York left winger Ian Iafallo to bring his total to 10 points (including 5 goals).
During the 14’59” spent on the playing area, he mainly took on tasks which prevented the Lightning from dancing too much near the net defended by the American Connor Hellebuyck.
In the Tampa Bay camp, Janis Moser (24) has experienced his biggest struggle since the start of the exercise. Aligned on the third defensive pair, and not on the first as was the case until now, he returned a differential of -4 alongside the American Nick Perbix.
The only downside on Winnipeg’s pretty picture is that its repeated victories do not cause “Jetsmania” in the community. There were only 12,912 spectators at the Canada Life Centre. A misery for a Canadian club in the reality of the NHL where “business is business” and where sometimes all it takes is a spark to rekindle rumors of a move.
NHL. Sunday’s matches.
NY Rangers – NY Islanders 5-2
Carolina – Washington 4-2
