Why the 15-1 Jets believe they're for real

This team doesn't do anything stupid – the mentality Ehlers mentioned is obvious – but this team has also worked for years to achieve success.

“The structural changes that we have made in the last two or three years – you can see that more and more clearly,” said Ehlers. He added that the team's 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Nov. 9 was “one of the best and most entertaining games I've ever been a part of” simply because the team played well structurally.

Professional athletes always say that they truly believe they will win every game before they play it, but it's hard to find an organization in the NHL right now that expresses that feeling better than the Jets. This is not a cocky team, but it is a very confident team.

“When you go through a long stretch — it just builds and falls, it's like every game is a new game, and we've had that feel-good feeling for a long time this year,” Appleton told Daily Faceoff. “Everyone goes into every game believing they're going to win, but at the same time there's just a confidence in us that we've never had before and it makes you play a little bit more connected and a little bit more free. It just enhances the individual and the team game.”

The Jets have had many strong regular seasons, and some may say they peaked too early in years past, but this is a process-oriented team that is still cognizant of the fact that it's a very long season. “It's better to win than to lose and we're also trying to build a game. There were victories that we had [when] “We didn’t love our game and we didn’t feel great after the game because we won the game,” Appleton said. “It's a cliché to say that, but we try to focus more on the process and not say, 'We're peaking too soon' or this or that, we keep that out of our minds.”

Winning is a little easier when you have a goalie playing as well as Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck now has an 11-1-0 record with a .935 save percentage and a 1.83 goals-against average, as well as three shutouts.

“Obviously we do everything we can in front of him, but at the end of the day we know that if you give up a little here, give up a little there or make a misinterpretation, you have a good chance that the puck won't go into the net “When the best goalkeeper in the league is behind you,” Appleton said.

It's hard to find fault with a team that's 15-1-0, but the Jets will be judged by their recent playoff results throughout the regular season. For some reason, people seem to love when they realize something is wrong with them, but that feeling hasn't crept into their room.

“I don’t think there’s a mistake right now,” Appleton said. “I think that sometimes we can play at a different level, but I don't think that was the case at all when we found consistency this year. I don’t think you can pinpoint one thing and say we need to get better here.”

Everything is at its best in Winnipeg right now and the way they played structurally seems to be contagious throughout the locker room. They're a pure business group that feels like they have a lot to prove – their early success doesn't seem to be a coincidence. It's hard to play against a team that can score, doesn't give up a lot and can make important saves. That won't change any time soon.

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