Vezina finalist shines when needed
Redemption for Hellebuyck as he shuts door on Wild for 2-0 victory and 3-1 series lead
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Connor Hellebuyck never had a doubt in his mind.
On the rare nights he didn’t have his best between the pipes this season, the Winnipeg Jets netminder has responded with what he likes to call a redemption game.
The only difference was now he had to do it for the first time in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Despite giving up six goals on 22 shots in Sunday’s 6-2 loss, Hellebuyck’s confidence didn’t waver — and for good reason.
After being named a Vezina Trophy finalist earlier in the day, Hellebuyck pitched a 30-save shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Wild that gave the Jets a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.
“It might be textbook. You can read hockey books and it might say, ‘Shutout after pull ...’ I don’t know,” said Hellebuyck. “I thought the guys played really well in front of me.”
Game 5 is set for Friday night at Bell Media Place.
Hellebuyck was steady early and made his biggest save early in the second period, pushing across the crease before making a sprawling glove save off Matt Dumba.
“I’m just there doing my job,” said Hellebuyck. “If I get a piece of it, it builds a bit of confidence during the game.”
Did news of the Vezina nomination serve as added motivation Tuesday?
“It definitely added a little more hop to my step. I don’t know if it changed my game too much because I prepare the same way and I do the same things every day,” said Hellebuyck, who joins Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning as finalists for the award. “I guess it’s just a nice milestone that me and my family will enjoy. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it. But I have to dial it back in. We’re here to do a job and we’re here to win a Stanley Cup and I have to worry about that first.”
Hellebuyck’s growth into a bona fide No. 1 goalie this season is one of the biggest reasons the Jets finished second overall in the NHL.
“He’s been like that all year. He deserves that accolade for sure,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who scored both goals and is up to three for the series to lead the Jets. “He’s been one of the best goalies in the league, he’s been awesome for us. He’s the reason why we made the playoffs and why we’re here. He’s been the backbone of this team all year.
“We know the type of person that he is. He expects so much of himself. He works hard on a day-to-day basis and a guy like that, we know he’s going to come back stronger and he showed it.”
Hellebuyck’s performance didn’t surprise anyone who has been around the Jets.
“We didn’t learn anything about him. But it certainly is a theme for him this year,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He’s mentally very, very strong, very confident in his game. You knew, five to 10 minutes into that game, he was right and feeling good. I don’t think I pulled him this year.
“I certainly got my fill of it the year before. He got pulled an awful lot. And that was all part of that process in the year, learning how to handle those things. Good for him. It’s really good for our hockey team to see that from him ... to see that he can come back and rebound — those kind of confidence builders in the playoffs are critical.”
With the game 0-0, Scheifele went to a quiet zone in the high slot in the final minute of the opening period and after Kyle Connor found him with a nifty backhand pass, he was quick to rifle home his shot.
The marker definitely gave the Jets a lift. It also gave a boost to Scheifele, who hadn’t scored since Game 1, when he provided the opening goal of the series.
Scheifele added an empty-netter with 10.7 seconds left to put the gameonice.
“He was outstanding. Especially in Game 2, that line had done all they needed to do except score,” said Maurice. “At some point you need your drivers to be the difference in the game, and they were the one line we had that had some sustained offence and some pressure. Scored a huge goal at the end of the period.
“They needed that, a good feeling, and to be a clear difference-maker.”
The Jets have pushed the Wild to the brink of elimination.
“It’s a rebound after not a great performance,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, who could be hearing from the NHL department of player safety after catching Wild centre Eric Staal with a crosscheck in the face late in the first period. “The cliché is the last one’s the hardest to get, and it is. (The Wild) are going to be fighting for their lives to stay alive.”
“(Hellebuyck’s) the reason why we made the playoffs and why we’re here. He’s been the backbone of this team all year.” — Mark Scheifele