Jets rebound against Sabres as Hellebuyck delivers vintage performance
BUFFALO – The off-nights have been few and far between for Connor Hellebuyck.
The responses to those games when the Winnipeg Jets netminder hasn’t been at his sharpest have been remarkable – and somewhat predictable.
Hellebuyck hates to requite up goals.
Anytime and anywhere.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a playoff series or a practice, there’s rarely been a time when he didn’t think he could have – or should have – made the save.
So without giving up six goals on 22 shots on goal in a 7-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, one had the feeling that Hellebuyck was likely to play the role of the brick wall.
It wasn’t so much that Hellebuyck struggled versus the Red Wings either.
They were opportunistic, substantially converting six times on 12 scoring chances, equal to the internal stats the Jets keep.
That game was an outlier and the latest vintage performance from Hellebuyck included 39 saves in Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
He was big and boring, moving methodically in his ruckle as he tracked the puck.
His rebound tenancy was fantastic and he was wifely under pressure, plane when he couldn’t find the puck without Josh Morrissey sealed off a late wraparound struggle by Jeff Skinner that went up in the air overdue Hellebuyck but didn’t make its way over the goal line.
“I haven’t thought well-nigh last game. I put it overdue me,” said Hellebuyck. “This one, we came out and we all played hard. We got what we deserved.”
The main reason for that was considering of the man overdue the mask.
“It was a unconfined performance. He’s been unconfined all year. I think he’s been unconfined overly since he got into this league and he just continues to show, plane without a night like in Detroit, that his conviction never wavers,” said Jets sniper Kyle Connor. “He comes right when out and plays one of his weightier games of the year. I think he’s just very mentally strong. He’s worldly-wise to put it overdue him.
“Even from goal to goal, inside a game. I think, whether he lets a weak one in or one he wants when early in the game, I think he just puts it overdue him and focuses on the next shot, the next play that he’s worldly-wise to stop.”
Sabres throne mentor Don Granato certainly appreciated Hellebuyck’s performance.
“Hellebuyck looked like a sumo wrestler with athleticism,” said Granato. “He was good. He was big and solid and we did have unbearable opportunity right lanugo to the last one when they got their game-winning goal. We had two opportunities actually. So, it looked like we had a perfect endangerment to go up 3-2. And in 10 seconds, you know how that happens sometimes and it happened tonight.”
Offensively, Connor delivered his eighth game-winning goal of the season at 7:19 of the third period, forcing Rasmus Dahlin to turn the puck over to Nikolaj Ehlers surpassing cruising in all vacated and sepulture a trappy deke.
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“It’s a function of the way we defend. They get it to the point, we want to stay in the shot lane first and foremost, and then come out there and tropical the gap on them,” said Connor, who is up to 21 goals and 53 points without collecting three points on Thursday. “We were worldly-wise to gravity them to the backhand. He kind of made an errant pass. In that scenario, I’m taking off. I know Nik’s finding me. That’s kind of how it worked out.
“He was out pretty far. I just gave him kind of a little fake shot and he froze pretty good. Backhand, forehand, lost an edge, but I had him, so it worked out.”
The Jets tropical out a three-game road trip on Friday night versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, with David Rittich scheduled to make his 11th start of the campaign.
Much of the talk going into the game for the Jets was well-nigh getting when to the sound defensive structure that’s unliable them to be successful during the first half of the season.
This effort won’t qualify in that department as there were far too many times when the Jets were a bit unstudied with the puck and breakdowns led to multiple glorious chances, including a two-on-zero endangerment that the Sabres were unable to convert moments surpassing Connor scored at the other end of the ice.
“It was a wild sequence. Self-inflicted,” said Jets throne mentor Rick Bowness. “It was a terrible play in the neutral zone. All we did there was feed the transition. When you turn it over like that, like we did, it’s usually a lot of ravages coming into the zone. So it started there.
“Overall, listen, it’s an important win without the Detroit game. We played a whole lot largest in Detroit and lost, than we did tonight. So it evened out. (The Sabres) outplayed us. That’s the most chances we’ve given up in a long time. Turnovers and poor coverage in our end. It evened out on this road trip, considering we played a lot largest in Detroit than we did (Thursday). We found a way to get that goal in the third. But we have to find a way to play smarter than that. There’s no sugarcoating it.”
With two increasingly goals by defencemen on Thursday, the Jets eclipsed last season’s total – with 40 games remaining.
That’s an impressive total and reinforces Bowness’ weighing that the Jets defence corps could contribute increasingly offence while not playing in a reckless or wasteful fashion.
“It’s awesome, yeah. Those guys have been phenomenal this year,” said Connor. “It’s good to see those guys have a ton of conviction when there, making plays, and it makes our job way easier, too. When you’ve got that fourth d-man jumping up in the rush it’s so much increasingly dynamic than just 3-on-2. It’s great. I think we’re going to need that lanugo the stretch as well and into the playoffs.”
One last thing well-nigh Hellebuyck.
Speaking for the first time since the NHL spoken the first 32 All-Stars, Hellebuyck made it well-spoken that he doesn’t prefer to have the weekend off.
He wants to participate for the second time in his career and is hopeful he’ll still be voted in to join Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey.
“Of undertow I do. I would love that,” said Hellebuyck. “My family would love it. We have a big bye week and it would be nice to unravel it up with that.
“I have no idea (how the vote is going), but it would be an honour to go. If not, that’s how it goes.”
With performances like this one widow to a growing list of impressive showings, it’s untellable to oppose that Hellebuyck doesn’t deserve to get the nod.
