The Winnipeg Jets (21-25-7) have been on a rough stretch recently. They’ve lost five of their last seven games, and their issues were laid bare against the Tampa Bay Lightning (34-14-4) on Thursday. They lost 4-1 in a rough offensive showing for everyone but the main scorers (Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele).
The Jets were close to ending the period scoreless, but Tampa Bay center Dominic James took an outlet pass to the crease and put it in behind Connor Hellebuyck, making it 1-0 Lightning. They added onto that lead with a Darren Raddysh slapper at 1:37 in the second.
Winnipeg had a chance to seize momentum, with Kyle Connor scoring the only goal of the night at 12:25 of the second period, but Tampa Bay closed the door with two unanswered goals: one by Yanni Gourde at 15:17 in the second, and an empty-netter by Nikita Kucherov at 18:52 in the third period.
Connor Hellebuyck Did What He Could
Hellebuyck has had a down season. After winning the Vezina and Hart Trophies in the 2024-25 season, he’s had just a .902 save percentage (SV%). He started the season strong, garnering a .921 SV% in October. The Jets went 6-3-0 in that span, looking like a Stanley Cup Playoff contender despite the loss of top scorer Nikolaj Ehlers in the offseason.
However, Hellebuyck has just a .895 SV% since October. The Jets have had a 7-12-6 record in his starts. Yesterday, however, he looked like his old self, stopping 33 of 36 shots for a .917 SV%.
There have been times where he’s shown signs of the Vezina-caliber goaltender he was last season, like the game against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 22, where he stopped 19 of 20 shots. Winnipeg needs to take advantage of those times.
Jonathan Toews Has Cooled Off
The Jets have struggled mightily due to their lack of depth scoring, and some of that lies on Winnipeg-native Jonathan Toews. The 37-year old center was signed to a one-year deal to bring veteran leadership and depth scoring.
Toews hasn’t shown it this season, with just seven goals, 12 assists, and 19 points through 53 games. However, he had a wild stretch where he scored four straight goals. From Jan. 9 against the Los Angeles Kings to Jan. 15 against the Minnesota Wild, he scored four straight goals, giving fans hope that he may have turned a corner.
Jonathan Toews, Winnipeg Jets (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
However, that stretch was a mirage, and Toews is once again a non-factor on offence. He has just one point in the past seven games, and he even has a minus-4 plus/minus during that stretch.
Related: Suggested Trade Has Oilers Acquiring Jonathan Toews From the Jets
The Jets’ depth in general is shallow, with just four players reaching 40 points this season (Scheifele, Connor, Gabe Vilardi, and Josh Morrissey), but Toews was brought in with the hope that he could shore up the depth scoring, and it’s largely been a disappointment.
Cole Perfetti Hasn’t Stepped Up
Another big disappointment has been Cole Perfetti. The 24-year-old center hasn’t taken the next step Jets fans were hoping for this season.
Through the past three seasons before 2025-26, Perfetti was gaining confidence. He had 30 points and a plus-10 plus/minus in 51 games in 2022-23, 38 points and a plus-13 plus/minus in 71 games in 2023-24, and 50 points with a plus/minus of plus-14 in 2024-25. He looked like he could be a great two-way presence for Winnipeg.
It could still happen, but he hasn’t been the same this season. Some of it was due to a preseason high ankle sprain that took him out for the first 15 games of the season, but he has just 15 points with a plus/minus of minus-9 this season. He’s also been on a cold streak recently, with just a goal in his past eight games. Against the Lightning, he had a minus-2 plus/minus as well as no points.
Standings and Schedule
The Jets fall to seventh in the Central Division with 49 points, slipping behind the Chicago Blackhawks who have 51 points. Winnipeg is ten points away from holding a playoff spot, with the Anaheim Ducks (59 points) currently taking the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
The Jets finish out the month with a road game versus the Florida Panthers on Saturday, Jan. 31. They’ll have another road tilt with the Dallas Stars on Mon, Feb. 2, before playing their last home game before the Olympics against the Montreal Canadiens on Wed, Feb. 4.
