Jets Notebook: Connor Hellebuyck changing games with key saves

WINNIPEG — Disregard his .897 save percentage through these first two playoff games — Connor Hellebuyck is hardly underperforming. 

The netminder showered with “M—V—P” chants in the regular season has come up clutch in the Winnipeg Jets‘ first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. 

In a tight series like this, judging a goaltender solely by save percentage is misleading. Hellebuyck faced only 39 shots through two games, and for a goaltender that feeds off a higher shot volume to get into a better rhythm, that’s difficult. 

But he’s made some game-changing saves. 

Hellebuyck made pivotal stops early in Game 2, denying several high-danger chances from the Blues to keep the game goal-less early in the first period. 

“He kind of settled us into the game there,” Kyle Connor said after the Jets took a 2-0 lead in the series on Monday. 

Late in the second period of Game 1, as the Jets trailed 3-2, Hellebuyck stonewalled Jordan Kyrou on a breakaway that very well could have sealed the game for the Blues. He’d gone nearly eight minutes without a shot before that. 

“There’s been a lot of situations where he hasn’t gotten a lot of work and then all of the sudden, there’s a 10-bell one that comes right down the pipe and he has to be ready for it. That’s Helly,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said after Tuesday’s optional skate.

“He has to be focused and dialled in all the time. There might be nights where he gets bombarded and he has to stand on his head multiple times.”

Over Hellebuyck’s last two playoff series — where he posted a 2-8 record and an .878 save percentage — he seldom looked in control. That hasn’t been the case over these last two games. While not flashy, the presumptive Vezina winner is delivering his trademark ‘big and boring’ style, which elevated him into Hart Trophy discussions.

And when he does that, these Jets are hard to beat.

Samberg settled in 

Dylan Samberg struggled to find his rhythm in Game 1.

“He was one of the guys that was extremely nervous, and he was one of those guys that it took a while to get settled in,” Arniel said.

Game 2 was a different story. 

That’s when the Samberg that shined all year long emerged, doing what he does best — at both ends of the ice — when it mattered most. He killed several of the Blues’ zone entries at the blue line, cleared the net front and moved the puck efficiently while shouldering tough deployment.

“The thing we love about him the most is that he defends above our blue line so much because he’s such a good skater,” Arniel said. “And he’s running into (Robert Thomas), Kyrou, he’s running into (Pavel Buchnevich). There’s some real skill coming at him.”

Samberg’s performance was the driver behind him and Neal Pionk — the Jets’ second pair — allowing the fewest scoring chances (two) of any of Winnipeg’s pairs, all while logging a team-high 24:30 on the ice.

This may just be the most encouraging — or rather, relieving — development of Game 2. Samberg at his A-game shores up a Jets top four that won’t be getting preferred matchups over the next two games, when the Blues will have last change.

Vilardi, Ehlers injury timeline

Arniel didn’t have concrete answers when asked about Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers.

Could we see Vilardi in Game 3? 

“Maybe,” Arniel said. “Maybe see what colour the jersey is tomorrow.”

Will Ehlers join the team in St. Louis? 

“Give me that one tomorrow,” Arniel said. “It’s an off day, so I don’t know yet.”

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Here’s what we do know. 

Vilardi has been out week-to-week with an upper body injury since getting injured against the Buffalo Sabres on March 23rd. He joined the Jets for an optional skate on Sunday, sporting a yellow no-contact jersey. Even if he sheds the yellow on Wednesday, there’s no guarantees he’s in the lineup for Game 3. 

Ehlers has been out week-to-week since re-aggravating a right foot injury against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 12. He’s yet to skate with the Jets. 

Don’t hold your breath on Ehlers returning in this series.

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