It’s time for Connor Hellebuyck to place up or shut up about being a big-time performer within the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With their season on the road, Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets stepped as much as win Recreation 5 towards the Dallas Stars by a rating of 4-0, enhancing their dwelling document to 6-1. Sadly for the Jets, Recreation 6 of the sequence is on the street. Winnipeg is 0-5 on the street through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not solely does the workforce look totally different, however the goaltender as properly.
Everyone knows how nice Connor Hellebuyck is within the common season. He’ll win his third Vezina trophy. going back-to-back after successful the Vezina final yr. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter what a workforce or goalie does within the common season; all of it comes right down to the playoffs.
So, the Winnipeg Jets received the Presidents’ Trophy. They give the impression of being nothing just like the workforce that performed on the street within the common season. As well as, Hellebuyck additionally took dwelling the William M. Jennings Trophy on the finish of the common season for giving up the fewest objectives. That has not been the case within the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s so weird.
Can the Winnipeg Jets Struggles Fall on Simply Connor Hellebuyck?
For those who take a look at the numbers, he needs to be getting it accomplished on the street, alongside along with his teammates. They have been 26-15 on the street within the common season, although they solely had a +26 objective differential, scoring 136 objectives and giving up 110 objectives. However what he hasn’t proven, in contrast to within the common season, is the power to make that huge save within the huge second of a sport within the playoffs.
There isn’t a doubt he has accomplished it on dwelling ice. He did it in Recreation 7 towards the St. Louis Blues after giving up that Mathieu Joseph objective. However on the street, it’s a totally different story. Within the 5 street video games, he has given up the primary objective on the primary shot 4 instances. Hellebuyck can’t enable that to occur. His teammates can’t hold chasing the sport. The primary shot must be stopped, like a primary serve or first return in tennis, that has to go in.
Are the Winnipeg Jets Asking Too A lot for Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele?
He has additionally allowed 11 objectives from 30-plus ft and past. That’s one thing Connor Hellebuyck doesn’t do. A Vezina Trophy-winning goalie doesn’t do this. Now, among the objectives have been deflections, particularly within the St. Louis sequence, the place the Blues introduced site visitors to the crease of Hellebuyck. However a few of these objectives have been clear seems, too. These are the objectives that may’t go in.
Now, Hellebuyck can discuss all he needs about how he research goaltending. The one noticeable factor is that he goes down into his butterfly place method too early, giving shooters the highest of the web to shoot at. There’s a purpose why these gamers are within the NHL, particularly the elite shooters. They may discover a option to get the puck into the web. However they rating once they have a clear opening or the goalie offers them an area to take a look at.
Connor Hellebuyck is about 6 ft 4 inches tall, and on skates, he’s about 6 ft 6 inches. He must play huge and restrict the place the opposition shooters can put the puck. Hellebuyck is at his greatest when he performs huge and aggressive. However on the street, he performs conservatively and deep in his web. That’s not an excellent mixture for the Jets.
Neither are the numbers. The Jets have misplaced 9 straight street video games within the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their final street win was in Recreation 1 of Spherical 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs towards the Vegas Golden Knights. Connor Hellebuyck was excellent.
NHL Rumors: The Winnipeg Jets Often Don’t Rush Into Something
However since then, the Jets with Hellebuyck in web, misplaced on the street in Video games 2 and 5 in 2023 to Vegas, each street video games (Video games 3 and 4) to the Colorado Avalanche in 2024, Video games 3, 4, and 6 to the St. Louis Blues in Spherical 1 in 2025, and Video games 3 and 4 in Spherical 2 towards the Dallas Stars. As well as, Hellebuyck was pulled in all three video games within the St. Louis sequence.
For those who study the numbers even additional, you’ll discover one factor: his save share dips from dwelling ice to the street. Throughout the common season, he had a .927 save share on dwelling ice. Nonetheless, on the street, it dropped to a .903 save share. That could be a huge distinction.
This postseasonthe numbers are ugly. The Jets are 0-5 and have been outscored 25-8, a differential of -17. Hellebuyck is 0-5 with a 5.84 goals-against common and a .793 save share. For those who mix his dwelling and street numbersHellebuyck has a 3.48 objectives towards common and a .851 save share. The Jets are the place they’re due to Hellebuyck’s play on dwelling ice. He has a save share of .913 and a objectives towards common of 1.72.
Connor Hellebuyck has appeared like two totally different goalies in dwelling and away video games this postseason. To assist examine his play, I created a few tables to point out his efficiency splits
He has a complete 2.65 GSAx at dwelling and -11.28 GSAx when away, with 0 away begins with constructive GSAx pic.twitter.com/NNHUXQFGVN
— EDL Analytics (@EDLAnalytics) Could 16, 2025
Whereas this isn’t all on Connor Hellebuyckhe must have a lifetime efficiency and alter the narrative about his play within the playoffs. There’s something to construct on for him from his Video games 3 and 4 performances in Dallas. However the Jets, particularly Hellebuyck, can’t be rattled or mentally tender.
Head coach Scott Arniel has to get his gamers to imagine and have the correct mindset that, as they do on dwelling ice, they will overcome something to maintain their season alive.
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For Connor Hellebuyck to get previous his demons, he wants a legacy sport on the street in Recreation 6 and outduel Jake Oettinger once more for the Winnipeg Jets to drive a Recreation 7 and have one other sport in entrance of their dwelling crowd.
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