from Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet,

- Have we reached the point where the Winnipeg Jets are the story of the season yet? Manitoba’s boys notched two more wins on the weekend, dumping the Ducks 3-1 in Anaheim on Friday and blasting Arizona 6-2 in the desert 48 hours later. Winnipeg has now ripped off six straight victories and hasn’t lost in regulation since losing 2-1 in San Jose on Dec. 12 in its first game after elite sniper Kyle Connor was sidelined long-term with a knee injury.

The Jets have not surrendered three goals in 60 minutes since the last day of November, a stretch of 17 contests. Since Dec. 1, Winnipeg has an .882 points percentage (first in the league), allowed 1.76 goals-per-game (first) and scored 3.53 (sixth). In terms of individuals in that timespan, backup Laurent Brossoit — who got the W Friday — is first in save percentage (.952) among tenders with five games, while top man Connor Hellebuyck is third (.935). Up front, Nikolaj Ehlers — who scored in both weekend wins — is setting the pace with 20 points in 17 outings, while Gabe Vilardi, Vlad Namestnikov and Nino Niederreiter have all stepped up in Connor’s absence.

- Sticking with the hot hands, Carolina lost 2-1 in a shootout to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, but has now picked up at least a point in 12 of its past 13 outings to climb from outside the playoff picture to second in the Metro. The Panthers, meanwhile, continue to build on their Cup final appearance with a stellar season. Florida won a wild one in Colorado on Saturday, leaving Denver with an 8-4 victory for its seventh straight win. The Cats are currently just two points back of Boston for top spot in the Atlantic.

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