What's fueling the Jets' run, Dobson crushing it, and 4 other NHL items

To best understand the Winnipeg Jets' unexpected rise to the top of the NHL standings, it's helpful to look back - all the way back to Dec. 22, 2022.

That night in Boston, Winnipeg scored twice in the first eight minutes. The Bruins picked away at the deficit in the second period before taking the lead midway through the third. The 3-2 win was a masterclass in not panicking.

"Boston just stayed with their game. They didn't get out of sorts. They stayed composed. Then they ended up beating us," Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo recalled in an interview this week. "That was an eye-opener for me."

Jonathan Kozub / Getty Images

That seemingly random year-old loss to the Bruins is relevant to DeMelo and the 2023-24 Jets because Winnipeg now feels like it can relate to Boston.

"If we're down two goals, three goals halfway through the game, we're comfortable. We can continue to play our game. We believe it'll work, it'll pay off. We believe that we're a tough team to beat when we're playing to our strengths," said 30-year-old DeMelo, who's in his fourth season with the club.

The Jets woke up Friday with the best points percentage in the NHL - .721. They sit second in goal differential - plus-44. They have a 21-1-1 record when leading after two periods because they've outscored the opposition 58-33 in the third. They've allowed three goals or fewer in an incredible 33 consecutive games. (The modern-era record, set by the 2014-15 Wild, is 35).

Winnipeg really limits the total number of shots against (fifth in the NHL), as well as the number of shots from the slot (third) and inner slot (sixth). In short, the Jets are elite defensively, and they also happen to be a top-10 offensive squad.

Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images

Those are some wild results this deep into the season, considering the consensus preseason expectation was basically "will battle for a playoff spot." There was no guarantee the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade would be a net positive.

A few of the high-level driving forces behind Winnipeg's success, according to DeMelo: fantastic goaltending, strong showings from new guys Gabe Vilardi and Alex Iafallo, and the prevalence of two-way players throughout the lineup.

Most importantly in DeMelo's eyes, the players have fully adjusted to second-year coach Rick Bowness' defensive style after such a long stretch with Paul Maurice behind the bench.

"First line, second line, third line, fourth line - everybody's looking the same when we don't have the puck," DeMelo said. "Everybody's buying into the structure of how we want to play in the offensive zone, how we want to be aggressive on the forecheck. Our neutral-zone and defensive-zone work has been really, really good, too. Everything's been really tight."

"Sometimes," he added, "it takes time. Sometimes you're used to playing a certain way for X amount of years. It takes time to get out of those old habits."

No safety net, no problem for Dobson Mike Stobe / Getty Images

Barring injury to one of his peers, Noah Dobson won't be flying to Toronto in a couple of weeks to partake in All-Star Weekend. On one hand, that's a shame; if votes were due today, Dobson would likely earn his first Norris Trophy finalist nod. On the other hand, that's fine; the dude needs some damn rest.

Only Montreal's Mike Matheson has logged more total ice time this season than Dobson, who's up to 1,134 minutes through 44 games. What Dobson has accomplished in those minutes is the truly impressive part. Just past the halfway mark, the Islanders blue-liner might be the most improved skater in the entire league.

"He looks like a completely different player to me this year," said Thomas Hickey, who covers the Islanders as a studio analyst for MSG Networks.

Dobson, who's bagged six goals and added 37 assists, has consistently found ways to turn defense into offense. For instance, the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder will use his long wingspan to break up the opposing attack with a stick check, before pushing play the other way. He's leveled up his confidence and poise with the puck while displaying greater escapability in transition.

Hickey, a member of the Isles' defense corps from 2012-22, got to know Dobson during the 2020 bubble playoffs. Dobson, the 12th pick in the 2018 draft, is by no means an overnight success. However, the player Hickey sees this season has returned to "the instinctual hockey he played in junior."

Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Impressively, Dobson's driving results "without much of a safety net."

While Dobson and partner Alexander Romanov have appeared in every Isles game, regulars Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, and Sebastian Aho have been in and out of the lineup, missing a combined 66 games.

The Isles have scored 3.18 goals and allowed 1.90 goals per 60 minutes when Dobson's been on the ice at five-on-five. Dobson, who turned 24 earlier this month, ranks second among New York skaters in both statistical categories.

"Noah understands the way top forwards think because he has really good offensive instincts," Hickey said. "He knows when they're going to cheat. He can make the forward think he's going to reverse the puck on a breakout, and when the guy bites, he's got open ice and can skate the puck out himself."

Colorado's Cale Makar is a singular talent in many ways, but this version of Dobson looks an awful lot like a poor man's Makar: shoots right, skates smoothly, handles heavy minutes, defends well, walks the blue line with ease, turns defense into offense, outsmarts attackers, and puts up points.

"I like that," Hickey said. "To say that he's a 'poor man's Makar' is fair."

Colorado's ice-time conundrum Kevin Sousa / Getty Images

Last week, Toronto's Sheldon Keefe gushed over the five-man unit of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Jonathan Drouin, Devon Toews, and Makar.

"The caliber of play, that's not the NHL. That's another league, right?" Keefe, the Maple Leafs coach, told reporters following a 5-3 loss to the Avalanche.

Keefe wasn't blowing smoke with those flattering remarks. The Avs' top four players - Drouin's more of a complementary piece - are terrifyingly good, individually and as a unit. They're all in their primes. They're made for the modern game. They're Stanley Cup champions. Surely, given how much he relies on his top guys, Avs coach Jared Bednar wouldn't disagree with Keefe.

Rantanen's currently skating for 23:16 a night, which is first among NHL forwards. MacKinnon's 23:07 is second. Valeri Nichushkin's 21:49 is fourth. (Nichushkin is on indefinite leave after entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Monday.) Makar's 24:57 is eighth among defensemen.

Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

To put those numbers into context, only nine forwards in the salary-cap era have finished a season averaging 23 or more minutes a night. And not once since 2005-06 have two forwards on the same team averaged 23 or more.

I'm all for riding your best players, especially superstars. But Colorado needs to address its lack of forward depth. Nichushkin's absence complicates an already messy situation. Captain and first-line winger Gabriel Landeskog is out the entire regular season. Middle-six menace Artturi Lehkonen has played just 12 games. One offseason acquisition (Ryan Johansen) has struggled, while a second (Tomas Tatar) was traded in December after a 27-game stint.

Ross Colton is the club's second-line center right now - and that reality sums up the ordeal quite well. Colton shouldn't be the 2C on a contending team.

Parting shots

Remember the name: Anthony Romani, one of the youngest players eligible for the 2023 draft, was passed over by all 32 teams. Months later, the odds of him being selected in 2024 are extremely high. Romani's caught fire in the OHL this season. Through 41 games, the North Bay Battalion winger is tied for first in the league in points (68) and second in goals (35). No longer stuck behind veteran teammates, he's taken advantage of an increased role, using high-end offensive instincts to deceive defenders and goalies.

NHL Central Scouting listed Romani 81st among North American skaters on its mid-term rankings. If Romani continues to impress, he could sneak into the second round. He's on a Tanner Pearson-esque path. Pearson, the longtime NHL winger now with the Canadiens, recorded 42 points as a draft-eligible OHLer, exploded for 91 points the next year, then went 30th overall to the Kings. Romani's jumped from 23 goals and 43 points in 66 games last season to a 58-goal, 113-point pace now.

Another game, another goal from Anthony Romani

The @OHLBattalion star makes no mistake on the penalty shot for his 31st goal of the season pic.twitter.com/L3DmZlKVZq

- Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 7, 2024

Monahan watch: Canadiens forward Sean Monahan narrowly missed the cut for the trade-season preview we published on Wednesday. Finally healthy and regularly landing on the scoresheet again, Monahan should command plenty of interest ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. He can become a contender's new third-line center at even strength and a secondary playmaker on the power play. The three-time 30-goal scorer has followed up an injury-shortened first season in Montreal with 11 goals and 17 assists in 45 games this year. Crucially, the majority of buyers can absorb the pending unrestricted free agent's $1.985-million cap hit. A bunch of teams should be pursuing a trade, but Boston and Washington might be the best fits for Monahan.

How about the patience from Sean Monahan to set up Joshua Roy for his first NHL goal #NHL | #GoHabsGo | #NJDevils
pic.twitter.com/V3VQoZWAyc

- The Cam & Strick Podcast (@CamandStrick) January 18, 2024

Predators buzzing: Sportlogiq keeps a stat called "quality chances," which is an offensive metric combining a team's Grade-A scoring chances with its Grade-B chances. Five clubs have seen a real spike in chance generation this year. One is the juggernaut that is Colorado - as of Thursday morning, the Avs were averaging an extra 2.7 quality chances per game in 2023-24 versus 2022-23. The other clubs in the top five are Anaheim (plus-2.6), Philadelphia (plus-2.6), Arizona (plus-2.5), and Nashville (plus-2.5). The 25-19-1 Predators pop off the page. New general manager Barry Trotz and coach Andrew Brunette said they'd be pivoting to a fast, offense-focused brand of hockey and haven't disappointed. The Preds don't have a ton of firepower, yet the team's scoring rate has risen from 2.72 (28th in the NHL) to 3.09 (18th).

Andrew Brunette had a solid golf tournament analogy on the mindset to the 2nd half of the season.

It's like Friday in golf. This is the part of the season where you're either slamming your trunk going home or you're playing on Saturday." pic.twitter.com/ttDqmaHkpc

- Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) January 14, 2024

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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