Jets riding their depth up the Central Division standings

Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck didn't see much action Monday night after the Minnesota Wild went up 2-0 on the Jets — not that he would complain.

After getting into the two-goal hole, the Jets team in front of him exploded to notch seven unanswered goals on their way to registering their seventh victory in their last nine games.

One game consisting fiery offense and steady goaltending is just a piece of the puzzle. This Jets team is playing the best hockey it has in many seasons, and now, Winnipeg is nipping at the heals of the St. Louis Blues, who hold a narrow lead in the Central Division.

"We're doing a really good job as a group of focusing on the little things," defenseman Tyler Myers told NHL.com. "We have the guys and the skill in the room to know when we can make those plays. We're doing a good job of picking the right times to make them."

It's true. Save a couple rough losses — like being shut out by the San Jose Sharks 4-0 on the last road trip — Winnipeg is certainly doing a good job of making things happen at just the right time.

A big part of that is thanks to the team's offensive depth. Sure, a highlight of the victory over the Wild was that captain Blake Wheeler scored a goal in his 500th game for the franchise, but it can't be overlooked that all seven of the goals scored in that game were scored by different players. Even when guys like Wheeler and linemate Mark Schiefele aren't lighting the lamp, this team is able to put another notch in the win column.

Of course, that is also in part thanks to Hellebuyck, who has been a welcome wall between the pipes. While his numbers may not jump off the page at you — 2.31 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage — he also has 13 victories on the young season, fifth-most in the league thus far.

The next question without a doubt is: Can Winnipeg overtake the Central? The Jets have plenty of division games to play before the end of the calendar year — most notably a back-to-back with current division front-runner, the St. Louis Blues, in mid-December.

Thanks to its depth and resolve, this is a Jets team that can seriously find itself in the "contender" column as the regular season rolls on.