With top line rolling, Jets still searching for more depth scoring

WINNIPEG — Just four games into the season and Kyle Connor is already in mid-season form.

The Winnipeg Jets star winger is tied for second in the NHL with five goals, and his three markers on the power play are threatening the five he scored all last year. He also has a pair of assists, with his seven points putting him top-5 in the NHL.

Connor has helped bring out the best in new linemate Cole Perfetti , who sits right behind with three goals and six points. It took centre Mark Scheifele a few games to find the scoresheet, but his undeniable chemistry with Connor was on full display in Wednesday's win over the Colorado Avalanche, his night capped by setting up Connor's game-winner late in the third period.

Scheifele threaded a cross-ice pass through the slot to Connor, who fired a low shot under the blocker of Colorado's Mackenzie Blackwood. The goal secured the victory and the Jets' spot atop the Central Division at 3-0-1.

“That was pretty special. Not a lot of guys can make those kinds of plays," Jets head coach Scott Arniel said. "Your best players need to step up in those type of moments, and those two have done it a lot for us."

While fans are rightfully marvelling at Winnipeg's hot start and the stellar play from its top line, it's starting to feel a bit like a movie we've seen before.

It was just last season that a top-heavy Jets squad free-fell to seventh in the Central Division and 26th overall, missing the playoffs entirely. That collapse was only magnified by their Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign the year prior, which was built on a balanced attack and finding goals up and down the lineup.

Arniel has talked openly about his desire to return as a Stanley Cup contender. While that focuses mainly on improving team defence, the Jets also need a collective effort at the other end of the ice.

Right now, the top line is scoring at a pace that has masked other offensive deficiencies. But they've also executed in the offensive zone without sacrificing their defensive responsibilities.

There is no better example than the game-winner against Colorado, which started with sound defensive work in the Jets' end before transitioning through the neutral zone. Perfetti didn't get credited for an assist, but without his shoulder check on a defender right before Scheifele's pass, there might not have been enough space.

"The way the defensive structure looked when Colorado had possession below the dots in our zone, and how we gained possession of that puck and north it went," said assistant coach Davis Payne, who runs the forwards and power play. "That’s the commitment that gives you a chance to let your skills sort of come through."

After years playing together, the chemistry between Connor and Scheifele is borderline telepathic. Connor called Scheifele's vision on the clincher against Colorado similar to possessing a "sixth sense."

Perfetti has been the main beneficiary, gaining more confidence with each game as he begins the first year of a five-year, US$30-million extension signed over the summer.