Winnipeg Jets three stars of Febuary

Originally, this was going to be a “three stars in the month of Sean Monahan,” but some numbers got confusing for me, so you’re getting a “three stars of February” five days late.

The month of February started a little shaky for the Jets, only scoring four goals in the first four games of the month. Some folks even thought it was the beginning of the end for the Winnipeg Jets’ season. Humans love to see patterns, and we were starting to see the same pattern we normally see from this team. The culture has changed in the locker room, and we got to see a successful month of February, going 8-4-0. Gather round, friends, because we are looking to explore the three stars.

The newest Jet, Sean Monahan, is the third star of the month. Monahan has been a welcome addition to the team and will be looking for a payday this off-season. The way his first month has gone, he will likely see a decent pay increase from whoever signs him.

It would take Monahan a few games to get comfortable; he would score his first goal as a Jet against the Vancouver Canucks, but his breakout would come against the Calgary Flames when he scored three goals in the first period. The Jets would ultimately lose that game, but that’s the way she goes.

Monahan has brought so much to the Jets’ power play. Even with just three power-play goals, the Jets’ power play had a 31.3 percent success rate during the month that he has been here.

Even with just seven goals and eight points in the month of February, Monahan has made the Jets a significantly better team.

Josh Morrissey is the Jets’ all-star defender, and he had a great month of February, putting up 12 assists, with three of them being power-play points. Although he hasn’t been directly contributing to the power play, it has been thanks to the number one defender on the power play.

As well, Morrissey is eating up so much ice time. He would play an average of 24:44 a night in the month. He would play over two minutes more than the next highest player, who was Dylan DeMelo, easily playing the most minutes as a skater and playing against some of the toughest opposition.

You really don’t see Morrissey taking many nights off; he’s a near-perfect leader who led this team to wins in February.

Kyle Connor gets this not for his defensive game but his offensive game. He was consistently finding the back of the net or helping others find the back of the net. He would pick up six goals and 12 points in February.

He was shooting at a 22.2 percent rate and set the Jets up with five points, including one goal on the power play. That went from being the team’s weakness to now a major strength. The Jets forward would have four multi-point games, including a three-point game against the Minnesota Wild.

I have to pump Connor Hellebuyck’s name wherever I can. After the All-star break, Connor Hellebuyck got right back into it and looked solid in almost every game this month. The game against the Calgary Flames hurt to watch, but you can’t blame Hellebuyck for that.

This man is still a slam dunk to win the Vezina Trophy. He would go 5-3-0 last month and would allow 19 goals against in eight games. Let’s remember the stinker of a game where he would allow five against. Finally, in a year where save percentages are down, Hellebuyck had a .927 save percentage in eight games. He was the difference-maker; he was the reason why the Jets were able to have such an outstanding record last month.