Kristen Shiltonapr 27, 2025, 04:36 PM ET
Closekristen Shilton is ESPN’s national NHL reporter.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuick was pulled out of his second straight postseason game for the first time in Sunday’s career after giving up five goals for the St. Louis Blues on the 5-1 route.
The St. Louis victory concluded the first round series of the Western Conference 2-2, leading to Game 5 in Winnipeg on Wednesday.
Hellebuyck was pulled away from Thursday’s 7-2 loss after allowing six goals on 25 shots. Listing 11 goals in two important playoff road games is almost the opposite of what Hellebuick was able to do at home, only earning four goals in total, helping Winnipeg take a 2-0 series lead over St. Louis.
Currently, the president’s trophy winner, who surpasses the league’s regular season ranking in the 116-point campaign, is a three-best fight against the confused eighth seeded Blues. And Hellebuyck’s collapse over the past two games is an important reason why Winnipeg is feeling the heat.
Jets coach Scott Arniel prevented fire from inciting post-game media availability on Sunday.
“I’m 100% confident in Connor Helebuick,” Arniel said. “His resume speaks for itself. At the end of the day, we need to get better in front of him. We need to let him see the pack. There are things we have to do to help him, and there are things he has to do to help us.”
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Like the Jets themselves, Helebuick had a sensational regular season. He is an odds favorite to win the third Vezina trophy as the NHL top goaltender and runs as the Heart Trophy finalist of the League MVP honors. He recorded a league-high 47 wins, averaging .925 save percentage and 2.00 goals.
One obvious problem for postseason Helebuiks is the St. Louis screening pack. Meanwhile, the Jets’ defenses are boxing well in front of the net and unable to see incoming shots. Winnipeg doesn’t provide much offensive support either, either. The Jets average the fourth and most target (2.50 per game) for the playoff team through a prominent lack of secondary scoring.
However, the veteran goaltender was on his own worst enemy. In Thursday’s defeat, it was Pavel Buchnevich who was a present of Helebuik behind the net, and delivered a hat-trick score ahead of the Blues. In Sunday’s match, Helebuick attempted to backfire the stick’s paddle to fight Brayden Shen, and Helebuekku was too far from play to stop Shen from scoring St. Louis’ third goal.
The crowd in Bruce’s house loved to see it. It rained on the “We Want Connor!” chants when Hellebuyck was replaced by a backup Eric Comrie. The building’s organists were temporarily involved with accompaniment.
As the series is shifting to Winnipeg, Bruce will get what he worked for Helebuick on Link and apply it to the ice of the Jets’ home.
“It’s a playoff. You have to win the netfront fight,” Shen said. “You have to go to the internet. They’re not always pretty. But you get people a pack, traffic to the internet, filming. Hopefully, good things happen.”
For Hellebuyck, Game 5 is his chance to rewrite his own history. This is another year that Hellebuyck’s regular season advantage has not been translated into postseason success. Last season he was 1-4 in the playoffs with .870 SV% and 5.23 GAA. In his career, Helebuick is 20-29-0 in the postseason and has not recorded a cumulative save rate of over .900 in any range from 2020 to 21.
Winnipeg resorts to Hellebuick to turn the tide before this postseason opportunity escapes.
