The Winnipeg Jets may have only one game left in their season. But if they’re able to keep things going for a bit, their biggest contributor might have a record in his reach.
The Winnipeg Jets have seen their biggest surprise in the breakout of Mark Scheifele. A very good player, maybe even a ‘star’ – whatever that means – Scheifele has hit another gear this NHL Postseason.
Scheifele has managed fourteen (!) goals in sixteen contests. His eleven road goals already are an NHL Postseason record. Oh, also, he is probably the biggest reason the Jets are in the Western Conference Finals.
Three goals in four contests against Vegas suggest that he’s not quite the reason the Winnipeg Jets are on the brink of elimination, winning Game One but dropping the next three. Bummer.
Scheifele has never been an elite scorer, but he’s not without talent. The former seventh overall pick has scored at about a goal every three game rate, which is fine. Not great, not bad at all. Fine. Very good.
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His shooting percentages always suggested there was more. The Winnipeg Jets team leader in shooting percentage? It wasn’t the 44 goal scorer, in case you were wondering. It was Mark Scheifele, which is surprising based on how you would think the results were.
It’s also unsurprising do to the setup I had for it. Could you imagine if I did all that and it was Nikolaj Ehlers? Jeez, what a waste. Among the eight 40 goal scorers in the NHL this season, only two had a higher shooting percentage than Scheifele: William Karlsson and Anders Lee.
And this isn’t really one of those blips that seems unsustainable. Scheifele ran a 20% rate last season, and 14.9 % the year before. Rock solid. In the postseason, it’s 31.8%, which leads the NHL. That might be a bit unsustainable.
Averaging .875 goals per game in the playoffs, Mark Scheifele finds himself just five short of the NHL record for a playoff run. He can’t (probably) reach this total in the Conference Finals, so the Winnipeg Jets might have to help a bit.
Unless you see a massive run in which he scores six goals in the next few games and the Jets still bow out, a comeback has to be in the cards for this to be attainable.
Jari Kurri and Reggie Leach both have the record to their name, with nineteen goals in one postseason run. Kurri did it in eighteen games, Leach just sixteen.
So, clearly Scheifele would need a few more contests to reach those highs. Unless a hat trick pops him up (not ruling it out), about five more games at this pace will get him to the record.
If the Winnipeg Jets reach the Stanley Cup Finals, that would give them a minimum of seven more games. That’s if they win all seven of them consecutively. I believe if that were the case, Mark Scheifele’s record would be a bit less important.
Honestly, it’s not that important right now. It’s fun to look at. And Mark Scheifele’s scoring touch has helped the Jets win a lot of games. If it helps them win more and he breaks a record in the process, I bet you he’d just be happy to hoist the Cup.
He’d have to lift a Conn Smythe along with it, no doubt. What a world that would be. Marc-Andre Fleury is hellbent on making certain this dream does not come to life.
Next: The Disappointing Connor Hellebuyck
If the Winnipeg Jets make the Stanley Cup Final, Scheifele’s record run will be a thing to watch, along with being a very fun storyline. We’ll have to wait on that. For now, a new postseason star is born.