Cracks showing in Hellebuyck’s game as playoffs approach for Jets
Sure, Connor Hellebuyck is going to have off nights. But it’s hard to ignore that the star Jets goalie didn’t look like himself against Edmonton. Jacob Stoller breaks it down what it means.
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Connor Hellebuyck isn’t one for taking breaks.
The workhorse goaltender would likely scoff at the notion of load management, instead emphasizing his need to stay in his rhythm. For Hellebuyck, the more shots, the better. And, hey, it’s that frame of mind that has driven the Winnipeg Jets star to become one of the best goalies on the planet.
But when you factor in his extensive workload at the 4 Nations Face-Off, no goalie has played more hockey than Hellebuyck this season. Having started 76 per cent of the team’s games this season (53), the presumptive Vezina winner is on pace for 62 starts. If he reaches that number, it will mark his fourth straight season with 60 or more starts.
It’s time to rein “Bucky” in.
We’re not talking about anything extreme, like shutting him down for the rest of the year. But Thursday’s 4-3 OT win over the Edmonton Oilers reaffirmed two things:
- Winnipeg has a firm grip on first in the Central, with 100 points banked and 12 games to go.
- Lately, Hellebuyck’s play has shown signs of wear.
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Those two go hand-in-hand.
Now, let’s put the obvious disclaimer out there. Connor Hellebuyck is human. He’s going to have off nights.
But it’s hard to ignore that he didn’t look like himself against Edmonton and Vancouver. That’s a fact, whether the bar for him is incredibly high or not.
Against the Oilers, he would’ve liked to have had the first goal against — a shot from Jeff Skinner from between the blue-line and slot — back. The second goal against, also via Skinner, squeaked through his five-hole (Winnipeg unsuccessfully challenged the goal for goaltender interference).
On Tuesday, Brock Boeser’s goal to give the Canucks a 4-2 lead in the second was a result of Hellebuyck failing to cover the puck, allowing Boeser to tap it through his pad.
Less than a minute later, Pius Suter scored on a backdoor tap-in that you can bet on him saving 99 per cent of the time, even in situations like that where there was a defensive breakdown in front of him.
Everyone needs a break from time-to-time. Or, in this case, to scale things back a bit.
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Being a goaltender in today’s NHL — which has speed and skill at an all-time high — is a relentless grind. Goaltending tandems are becoming more common, and aside from Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevsky, nobody’s playing close to 70 games anymore.
Hellebuyck is the key to any potential Cup run for this team, where Winnipeg’s MVP would need to win 16 high-stakes playoff games. And some of those games could go into multiple overtimes, with another game 48 hours after.
Winnipeg needs to protect its X-factor through these final 12 regular season games.
Otherwise — whether it’s his fault or partially due to the team’s play in front of him — his playoff save percentage could end up mirroring the .878 mark we’ve seen over the last two years.
And you’re not winning a Cup with sub-.900 goaltending.
Stoller Says
• At first glance, coach Scott Arniel’s decision to challenge Edmonton’s second goal was a bit puzzling. Colin Miller clearly pushed Zach Hyman into Hellebuyck.
“That’s not what we were arguing about,” Arniel clarified to reporters post-game. “We were arguing about Helly’s stick. It was Helly’s stick that was impeded by a skate from the Edmonton player. And they decided that it wasn’t. But that was what we were after. We just felt he was in the blue paint and he didn’t allow Helly to get his stick back underneath and obviously in front of him.”
• Winnipeg’s power play is in the midst of another dry spell, having converted on just one of its last 16 attempts. The unit went 0-for-4 on Thursday, which included a lengthy five-on-three early into the third period.
“We had a couple looks, but overall we were sloppy,” Jets forward Kyle Connor told reporters. “That’s something that we take pride in, to be able to close out a game. I mean, we got a five-on-three (and) don’t score on that. We got one real late. Don’t score on that. Yeah, I know results aren’t everything you want to get momentum, but at a certain time, it’s timely goals.”
• Since Cole Perfetti said on Jan. 24 that he was aiming to be a “prick” to play against, the 23-year-old has recorded eight goals and 18 points in 21 games. His success coincides with that of his line. Through that span, Perfetti, Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov have posted a 64.6 per cent expected goals for percentage and controlled 62.4 per cent of the high-danger shot-attempt share during five-on-five play. Perfetti’s increased intensity has resulted in fewer plays dying on his side of the rink, while Namestnikov has exhibited more poise with the puck. Together, the three finally appear to be in sync.
