WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the first time the Winnipeg/Atlanta Thrashers franchise has qualified for the postseason in consecutive seasons.

The
Jets clinched their playoff berth with a 5-0 win
against the Nashville Predators on Saturday and lead the Central Division with 94 points. They are in position to win their first division title with seven games to go and a four-point lead on the second-place Predators. They also have a game in hand on the Predators.
Here are five reasons the Jets clinched a playoff berth:

1. Important first half

The Jets were steady but not spectacular out of the starting gate in October, going 7-4-1. But they built their record to 24-10-2 by the Christmas schedule break and their 50 points put them on top of the Central Division and Western Conference.
That eased the pressure of heightened expectations from last season, when they had 114 points and reached the Western Conference Final, where the Jets lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Winnipeg was consistent in its first 36 games prior to the Christmas break, losing two games in a row only once, 6-3 at the Calgary Flames on Nov. 21 and 4-2 at the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 23, and won 11 of its last 13.

2. Leaders led

Winnipeg's top two forwards, Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, have done the heavy lifting and each is on track for an NHL career-best season.
Wheeler has 88 points (20 goals, 68 assists) in 75 games. He has equaled his NHL-high assists total from last season and needs three points to match his NHL career-best 91 points from last season. This is the second season Wheeler has been more than a point-per-game player.
Scheifele has 35 goals, topping his previous best of 32 in 2016-17, and with 80 points needs two to match his NHL career-high in 2016-17. This is the third straight season Scheifele is a point-per-game player in the NHL.

3. Backup bliss

Backup goalie Laurent Brossoit was a welcome addition this season, helping the Jets stabilize what had been an unpredictable position because of injuries in seasons past.

Brossoit, who signed a one-year contract with the Jets as a free agent July 1, 2018, is 13-6-2 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. The Jets had eight wins from their three backups -- Steve Mason, Eric Comrie and Michael Hutchinson -- last season.
Brossoit played an important role early in the season, winning eight of his first 10 games (8-1-1, 2.11, .939), during a period when Hellebuyck (10-7-1, 3.09, .904 on Dec. 1) struggled to find his game.
Hellebuyck, a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, is 32-20-2 with a 2.87 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 57 games (56 starts) and hasn't had to start every meaningful game this season. He had 64 starts last season.

4. Offense matters

The Jets haven't been quite as good defensively this season, tied for 11th-best with 217 goals against through 75 games versus fifth-best with 216 goals against last season.
But their offense has delivered wins and kept them in many games. Winnipeg has 252 goals this season (3.36 goals per game), seventh-most in the League. The Tampa Bay Lightning lead with 295. The Jets had the second-most goals in the League last season, 273 (3.33 per game), behind only the Lightning's 290.
The power play has been a huge asset, ranking fourth-best at 25.3 percent through 75 games. Tampa Bay leads at 29.1 percent.
There are multiple, dangerous options on the first unit, including Patrik Laine's team-leading 14 power-play goals, most from the left-wing one-timer spot.

5. Invaluable depth

Winnipeg has had few passengers.
The Jets have four players with 20 or more goals: Scheifele, Kyle Connor (32), Laine (29), Kyle Connor (29) and Wheeler. They have seven other players with between nine and 19: Nikolaj Ehlers (19), Bryan Little (15), Mathieu Perreault (14), Brandon Tanev (13), Andrew Copp (11), Adam Lowry (9) and Tyler Myers (9).
Laine scored 18 goals in 12 November games and became the 10th player in NHL history to score at least 18 in a calendar month and the first to reach 18 in a month since Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks scored 19 in March 1994.
Winnipeg's defensive depth has been key during late-season injuries to Dustin Byfuglien, who has missed the past 17 games with a lower-body injury, and Josh Morrissey, who missed the past 13 games with an upper-body injury.
Ben Chiarot, a steady, stay-at-home defender, has been more reliable than ever. His ice time has increased from 15:17 per game last season to 18:26 this season.