Shortly after allowing his fifth goal during Sunday afternoon`s game, Connor Hellebuyck skated towards the Winnipeg Jets` bench. His teammates offered encouraging stick taps to his pads, acknowledging their collective responsibility. He briefly patted backup goalie Eric Comrie on the back before removing his gear and taking a seat for the rest of the game, which the St. Louis Blues won to even the series.
Early game exits have become a noticeable trend for Hellebuyck during the Jets` last two playoff runs. The goaltender, widely expected to win the Vezina Trophy and a strong contender for the Hart Trophy, has been substituted in three of his previous nine playoff starts. This is a stark contrast to his performance over the past two regular seasons, where he finished all but one of his 122 starts.
“I thought our goaltending was better than theirs in the first two games,” Jets coach Scott Arniel told reporters. “In the following two games, their goaltending was better than ours. It`s as simple as that.”
The St. Louis Blues managed to score 5.49 goals more than expected against Hellebuyck across Games 3 and 4. According to NHL Stats and Information, this marked the first occasion in over three years that the Jets removed Hellebuyck from consecutive starts; the last time this occurred was on April 15-16, 2022. One notable goal leading to a substitution was when Robert Thomas of the Blues received a drop pass and scored with a backhand shot, resulting in Eric Comrie entering the game.
Despite these recent challenges, Hellebuyck himself expressed confidence in his ability to bounce back, acknowledging he had allowed more goals than he would have liked in the last two games but asserting, “I`m going to be better.”
