The Winnipeg Jets may have lost a heartbreaker on Friday night. But Kyle Connor gave fans something to cheer about.
Connor has done something no other NHL player has accomplished when he drilled home a power-play goal in the second period with helpers from Gabriel Vilardi and Cole Perfetti: he scored a goal for the ninth straight time in a season-opening game.
Connor is currently in record-extending territory. He passed Cam Atkinson (2014-19), Yvan Cournoyer (1973-1978), and Mud Bruneteau (1940-1945) in 2024 to set the record at seven. He scored in the Jets‘ season-opening loss to the Dallas Stars in 2025 to extend his streak to eight.
Connor, who spent his entire career with the Jets, saw this streak begin in the 2018-19 season. Just one year removed from Winnipeg’s deep playoff run in 2017-18 that saw them lose in five games to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.
Kyle Connor Remains A Bright Spot For The Winnipeg Jets
All eyes are on Mark Scheifele as he chases franchise legends Dale Hawerchuk and Thomas Steen to set the franchise’s all-time points, goals, and assists record. But Connor is also worth keeping an eye on as he keeps rewriting the history books.
Connor, who entered his age-30 season, is currently fifth on the Jets’ all-time points list with 676 points. He has been a prolific goal-scorer throughout his career in Winnipeg with 324 goals. That averages to a stellar 38 goals per season, and it puts him just 55 behind Hawerchuk.
Trade rumors have been surrounding Scheifele lately, so if the Jets end up moving him, Connor could get a clear path to take the lead in goals in the near future. It would be tough to break this season. But if Connor keeps averaging roughly 38 per year, he could find himself topping the list at some point in 2027-28. Of course, a lot of this hinges on whether Scheifele stays in town or is traded.
Expect Connor To Remain A Bright Spot For The Jets
The Jets had a hard time getting anything going last season, ending the year with just 229 goals. Connor, however, still found the net 39 times. In Friday night’s loss, the Jets’ blue line stepped up and scored twice, leaving Connor as the only Jets forward to score.
It further indicates that, regardless of how flat the Jets can get when they have the puck, Connor is always a threat to find the net. It’s also worth mentioning that he accounted for nine of Winnipeg’s 33 shots on Friday. That’s another day at the office for Connor, who’s averaging 3.17 shots per game in his career.
Still, if the Jets want to get going offensively, they need more help from veterans like Scheifele and those deeper in the lineup. If the forward group can string together some solid games offensively, the Jets could return to their high-octane ways that made them so much fun to watch in 2024-25, when they finished third in the NHL with 275 goals.
It won’t get any easier for Winnipeg when they gear up for a Sunday afternoon tilt against the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit may be coming off a loss, but they allowed just one goal vs. the New York Rangers before watching an empty-netter slip through in the closing moments.
Kyle Connor Extends NHL Record to Absurd Territory in Jets Opener