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The NHL’s two biggest powerhouses this season are the current conference leaders: the Washington Capitals of the Eastern Conference and the Winnipeg Jets of the Western Conference.
Both teams are at least seven points ahead of the next-best team in their conference. Barring some late-season swoon, the Jets and Caps will have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup playoffs and the opportunity to have a deep post-season run.
Washington and Winnipeg could go on a lengthy playoff run. Maybe they’ll face off in the Stanley Cup final, although the last time two Conference leaders met in the final was in 2001 when the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils.
But which of the two conference leaders is better built to win a Cup? From this writer’s perspective, it’s the Jets. Their roster is just a bit deeper overall and has some of this season’s top players.
That starts with the goaltending. Connor Hellebuyck is a perennial elite NHL goaltender who has a 33-7-2 record, 2.04 goals-against average and .925 save percentage this season. It doesn’t get much better than that. If he can avoid the struggles of last post-season, when he had a 5.23 GAA, and play closer to his regular-season stats, no team should want to face him. And backup Eric Comrie’s .912 SP and 2.58 are respectable as well.
Washington’s Logan Thompson is also one of the NHL’s best netminders this season, with a whopping 24-2-4 record, .923 SP and 2.18 GAA. No team should want to face him at his best either, but Hellebuyck is just more proven at this point. And Charlie Lindgren’s .903 SP and 2.61 GAA are the weakest of the four goalies.
Related: NHL Power Rankings: Jets Fly High As Trades Start To Flow
On offense, the Capitals currently have six forwards with at least 39 points and seven with at least 21 points ahead of Thursday night’s game. Their top-scoring forward – center Dylan Strome – had 51 points ahead of Thursday and added an assist against the Flyers for 52 now. Then there’s Alex Ovechkin, of course, who had 25 goals and 39 points in 37 games before recording his 26th goal on Thursday.
While Winnipeg has five forwards who’ve generated at least 33 points, they have eight with at least 26 points. The Jets also have two players – Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor – who’ve generated 61 points and 67 points, respectively. Once again, we see Winnipeg having the best forwards between the two teams right now, and quality depth will be a difference-maker in the playoffs.
“Say what you want about the record and empty-net goals… what I see is a player that has an incredible ability to read where the puck is going.”
The Capitals discuss Alex Ovechkin, how empty-netters factor into his chase & his importance at 5-on-6:https://t.co/8LfjfOnaeD
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) February 5, 2025
The Capitals defense group is benefitting from the addition of Jakob Chychrun, who leads in defense scoring, with 34 points. Each of their top six blueliners has at least 13 points, while Winnipeg has four with at least 12.
But the Jets’ Josh Morrissey has 46 points, while Neal Pionk has 36 points. Those two, Dylan DeMelo and Dylan Samberg average more than 20 minutes in ice time compared to Washington’s two. The defense groups are close, but Morrissey is the best of the bunch this season, and it goes to show how Winnipeg can rely on much of their squad at all positions.
The Jets and Capitals may augment their lineups at or before the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline. But in every area, Winnipeg has the top player compared to Washington and slightly better depth overall. Things can change depending on who they face early in the playoffs, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see either team beat each other. But the Jets deserve to be the favorites right now.
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