Winnipeg Jets’ Top 5 Goals of 2024-25

The goal gave fans at Ball Arena in Denver and Jets fans watching at home some serious deja-vu as Pionk scored in a nearly-identical fashion in October 2022. Back then, he looked off Adam Lowry on an overtime two-on-one in favour of a slapshot that went off the post and in past Alexandar Georgiev 31 seconds in.

The victory, which came after the Jets put up a terrible performance in a 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club a few days before, sparked a franchise-record 11-game winning streak.

4: Jets Pull Goalie in First, Scheifele Scores Buzzer Beater — Oct. 13, 2024

This goal showcased an astute coaching decision and was an early indication Scott Arniel — who ended up being nominated for the Jack Adams Award — might have been the right choice as Jets’ new head coach after all despite there being some higher-profile candidates.

It’s also a goal that required perfect execution to happen, and the execution was indeed perfect.

On Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday against the Minnesota Wild, Arniel decided to pull Connor Hellebuyck with 2.9 seconds left in the first period in favour of the extra attacker for an offensive-zone faceoff.

Arniel entrusted his captain to take the crucial draw, which if lost, could have led to an empty-net chance for the Wild. But the long-time third liner won it perfectly back to Mark Scheifele, one of three Jets stacked up in the middle waiting for their chance at a quick shot attempt, and Scheifele made no mistake by blasting it past Filip Gustavsson with 0.7 seconds left.

“You draw it up like that and it very rarely goes exactly according to plan. But it was a big goal for us and it ended up being the tying goal that got us to overtime,” Lowry said after the Jets captured a 3-2 win in extra time. “I like the mindset that you’re going to push, you’re going to go for it. You put a little bit of risk, but it’s a calculated risk.” (From ‘Connor works OT magic to propel Jets past Wild,’ Winnipeg Free Press, Oct. 13, 2024.)

3: Connor Splits Two Defenders, Finished Backhand Roof Job — Jan. 26, 2025

Kyle Connor, who potted a team-leading 41 goals this season and has 284 in his career, somehow still manages to catch opponents off guard from time to time. He caught the entire Calgary Flames team off guard in a late-January home game to open the scoring.

Amassing a loose puck at his own blue line, the sniper burst up the middle, slipped between a lackadaisical-looking pair in Clark Bishop and Daniil Miromanov to get in all alone on Dan Vladar, and popped a backhand to the top shelf.

Connor also had two assists in the 5-2 win in which the effective top line of he, Gabriel Vilardi, and Scheifele — which was together for the majority of the season and produced a ton of offence — simply took over. Vilardi topped Connor with two goals and two helpers while Scheifele had a goal and assist of his own.

“Pretty nasty,” is how Vilardi described the goal. “That’s what he does. It was cool to see.”

2: Vilardi Shows Off Ridiculous Hands in Power Play Give-and-Go With Ehlers — Nov. 12, 2024

Vilardi has some of the best hands in the NHL and his puck-handling skills were on full display on this power-play marker against the New York Rangers.

The 25 year old — who set new career highs across the board this season — knocked down Neal Pionk’s partially-blocked shot out of midair, made mincemeat of K’Andre Miller by putting the puck through the defender’s legs to generate a two-on-zero, dished it on the backhand to Nikolaj Ehlers, and then stayed north of the goal line long enough to get the puck back from Ehlers and slide it into the open net.

It’s a play that looked slick in real time but whose many impressive components look even moreso on a rewatch or two.

1: Perfetti Throws Forbort Into Blender, Snipes Short Side on Demko While Diving — March 30, 2025

Cole Perfetti developed into a complete and mature player this season, and this was definitely a goal befitting a bona fide top-six NHLer.

In the third period of a late March home tilt against the Vancouver Canucks with the Jets looking to build on a 2-1 lead, Perfetti entered the zone one-one-one with Derek Forbort, pulled the puck through the defender’s legs to get in all alone, and then fired a high shot short side — while diving, no less — past Thatcher Demko.

The goal, which was Sportscentre’s highlight of the night, was undoubtedly the nicest of his 45-career tallies to that point, and was an example of the increased confidence he found in his game even when he isn’t putting up a bunch of points. An unconfident player doesn’t even try to make a move like that on a defenseman with more than 500-career NHL games under his belt.

“Everyone kind of gives each other that ‘wow’ look,” Mason Appleton said. “You don’t see goals like that too often.”

Which goal was your favourite? Are there any great ones not on this list? Comment below!