Silent night for big stars, PK continues to shine, and more: 3 key Winnipeg Jets takeaways from 3-0 win against Utah HC

The Winnipeg Jets continue their absolute tear to begin the 2024-25 NHL season, improving to an impressive 12-1-0 through 13 games thanks to their 3-0 shutout victory over the visiting Utah Hockey Club at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

It marked the first time that the Utah HC had played the Jets in Winnipeg with their new moniker and color scheme, as they were formerly known as the Arizona (originally Phoenix) Coyotes from 1996 to 2024 before relocating to Salt Lake City.

Ironically, the Coyotes were the first iteration of the Winnipeg Jets before relocation to Phoenix in 1996.

The scoring began on Tuesday night courtesy of Gabriel Vilardi's fifth goal of the season, scored on the power play at 17:57 of the first period.

Winnipeg increased their lead to 2-0 in the third period thanks to Nino Niederreiter, his sixth goal. He struck again late in the period, hitting the empty net for his seventh and putting the game out of reach.

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck continued his strong season, stopping all 21 shots that he faced for his 39th career shutout. Meanwhile, Utah's Karel Vejmelka stopped 25 shots in a losing effort.

Let's now review the biggest takeaways from Winnipeg's victory at Canada Life Centre.

3 Biggest Takeaways from Winnipeg Jets 3-0 victory over Utah Hockey Club

#3. Winnipeg's depth came through

The strength of the Jets this season is their complete roster, and not having to rely on their top guns every night to earn two points. This was recognized by Niederreiter in his postgame remarks:

“The best part about it right now is that we keep finding ways to win hockey games, and in all situations” Niederreiter said. “The power play steps up when it needs to. The PK has been great. We are finding the back of the net right now, which is great. It is something that we work very hard for it. We know we can’t take anything for granted.

The franchise-record 12-game point streak of Kyle Connor finally came to a close, but the Jets still earned themselves a victory thanks to goals from their depth scoring. If they can continue this all season, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.

#2. The penalty killing was perfect

The Utah HC had four separate power-play opportunities but were repelled each time. Simply put - if you keep your opponent off the scoresheet when they have the man advantage, your chances of winning vastly improve.

Entering Tuesday's game operating at only 76% efficiency (ranked 21st overall in the NHL), Winnipeg's penalty-killing numbers will get a boost thanks to their performance against Utah.

#1. Utah was stifled by the tight Winnipeg defense

While the Utah HC didn't get many quality chances on Hellebuyck, he repelled the ones that he saw. Additionally, the Jets blocked 18 shots from Utah, further stifling any chance of getting pucks on the net.

An offense that's evenly spread out combined with an effective defense and strong goaltending certainly equals one tough assignment for whoever the Jets encounter.

They next take on the Colorado Avalanche, who bested them in the opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, on Thursday night.