Facing a 3-1 deficit in the third period of Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, the Winnipeg Jets, who had won the Presidents` Trophy, appeared headed for their third straight first-round elimination.
However, a stunning comeback, culminating in Adam Lowry`s double-overtime tip-in goal, allowed Winnipeg fans to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck likely experienced this relief more acutely than anyone else.
“At this point, the pressure has somewhat lessened. The weight of the world feels lifted off my shoulders,” Hellebuyck stated on Tuesday. He clarified that this feeling wasn`t due to external factors but the intense mental challenge of the series, adding, “That being said, in that moment, it felt like a second chance for me.”
The two-time Vezina Trophy recipient is now in his 10th season with the Jets and making his seventh playoff appearance. Despite reaching the Western Conference Final in Hellebuyck`s initial playoff run, the team hasn`t been able to achieve that level of success since.
