Jets HC Scott Arniel ‘amazed’ with team’s HISTORIC start to 2024-25 season following 4-1 victory against Stars

The Winnipeg Jets set an NHL record for the best start to a season with their 14th victory in 15 games following a 4-1 triumph on Saturday.

Jets HC Scott Arniel ‘amazed’ with team’s HISTORIC start to 2024-25 season following 4-1 victory against Stars

Winnipeg Jets HC Scott Arniel (Image via Yahoo Sports)

There seems to be no stopping the Winnipeg Jets at the moment. The Canadian outfit claimed their 14th victory of the season on Saturday against the Dallas Stars. Head coach Scott Arniel later claimed that he was “amazed” with the team’s performance.

Following Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Stars, the Jets are now 14-1-0 for the season. This is the best start for any team in NHL history.

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The previous record for the best start to an NHL season belonged to another Canadian team, the Ottawa Senators. During the 2007-08 season, the Sens went 13-2-0 in their first 15 league games. The Jets have now broken this record.

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Speaking in the press conference after the game, head coach Arniel claimed that the players had to recognize the feat they had achieved and added they had to be proud of themselves.

Pretty amazed, a little bit. At the same time, these players, they do have to recognize that it’s an amazing feat what they’ve done so far. But we’d like to just keep this going a little bit longer but at the end of the day, they’ve got to be awfully proud of what they’ve done.

Scott Arniel said.

Alex Iafallo and Vladislav Namestnikov both scored and assisted in this game. Nikolaj Ehlers and Rasmus Kupari also found themselves on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves to help the team win their sixth straight game.

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Scott Arniel praises ‘elite’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck following historic win

A key player in the Winnipeg Jets‘ fantastic start to the season has been goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. In the 12 games he has started this season, he has picked up 11 wins and set a franchise record for a shutout streak at 191:47. His coach, Scott Arniel, would later praise him and hail him as an ‘elite’ player.

Scott Arniel and Connor Hellebuyck
Scott Arniel (L) and Connor Hellebuyck (R) [Image via Washington Hockey Now/theScore]

Hellebuyck would have registered his three straight shutout win if had not conceded in this game. A deflected shot with just 82 seconds in the game from Roope Hintz made it 4-1.

It’s awesome what he does every night. You almost take it for granted at times. I know the crowd goes crazy, but we see that in practice every day, we see it in games often. He’s elite.

Scott Arniel said as per NHL.com

These performances of Hellebuyck have made him an early candidate for being named the goaltender for Team USA at the Four Nations Face-Off next year while drawing comparisons with his compatriot Jake Oettinger, who was in the opposition net. While Hellebuyck received praises, Oettinger was on the receiving end of brutal trolls from the Jets fans.

After conceding four goals through 25 shots, fans present at the Canada Life Centre threw in chants of “US backup” at Oettinger. The 25-year-old goaltender was then replaced by Casey DeSmith.

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The Jets have a two-day break before starting a huge away run. Their next 9 out of 10 games will be on the road away from their home. The Stars, on the other hand, have lost three of their four games and will look to bounce back from this defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.