Hellebuyck sets American goalie record in Jets win
24-YEAR-OLD EARNS 44TH VICTORY OF THE SEASON
Andrew Copp scored twice and Connor Hellebuyck set an NHL record for most wins in a season by an American goaltender as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Commerce, Mich., goalie made 30 saves to pick up his 44th win (44-11-9), surpassing Tom Barrasso’s 1992-93 feat with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dustin Byfuglien and Kyle Connor also scored for the Jets (52-20-1), who have won five straight and a franchise-record nine in a row at Bell MTS Place.
Winnipeg opens the NHL playoffs next week at home against the Minnesota Wild.
Jeff Glass stopped 35 shots for the Blackhawks (33-3910), who didn’t make the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08. Brent Seabrook scored Chicago’s lone goal. Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp got a standing ovation in the third period after the announcer told the crowd it was the veteran’s final career game. Sharp is retiring after 14 NHL seasons, 11 with Chicago.
Jets and Blackhawks players also wore the word ‘BRONCOS’ on the back of their game jerseys in place of their own names to honour the victims and survivors of the fatal bus accident Friday involving Saskatchewan’s Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.
Winnipeg had mounted a 4-0 lead by early in the second period.
Byfuglien began the onslaught when he scored 13 seconds into a two-man advantage with a high blast from the point at 15:12 of the first period.
Connor beat Glass on a breakaway 34 seconds into the second. It was his 31st goal of the season, which leads all NHL rookies.
Copp put in his eighth and ninth of the campaign, the second a short-handed goal, to make it 4-0 at 6:35.
Seabrook stopped the shutout with a screened shot at 9:08 of the second.
The Jets, who relocated from Atlanta in 2011, also set franchise records for wins, points and home wins (21).