At long last, the 2017-2018 NHL campaign came to a close. The Winnipeg Jets put together a good one from start to finish, ending up with 52-20-10 record, good for 114 points, the most in Thrashers/Jets franchise history.
Never before had Winnipeg Jets broken the 100 point barrier. This number was good for second in all of the NHL, actually. Unfortunately, the only team that had more is in their division. Nashville snagged the number one seed. The Winnipeg Jets will take on the Minnesota Wild.
Minnesota was third in that Central Division at 101 points, and they’re fairly well rounded. They were 11th in the league in both scoring and goals against, which is serviceable. They are currently without two of their top d-men, however. Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon are both dealing with lower body injuries. Spurgeon should play in the series, but Suter is done for the season.
The Winnipeg Jets, however, have more firepower. Second in all of the NHL in goals scored, actually. Tampa Bay had more and they had nineteen more (!!!). But, according to the SRS (a simple rating system that takes into account scoring and strength of schedule, they were number one at .74, whereas 0 is average). You want defense? Jets are fifth in goals allowed this season. Toby Enstrom and Jacob Trouba may return for the first round.