‘Weight of the world’ off Hellebuyck’s shoulders after Jets’ Round 1 win
Down 3-1 in the third period of Sunday’s Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, the President’s Trophy winning Winnipeg Jets looked destined for a third consecutive first-round exit.
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Down 3-1 in the third period of Sunday’s Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets looked destined for a third consecutive first-round exit.
Yet a miraculous comeback, ultimately capped by an Adam Lowry tip in double overtime, allowing the Winnipeg faithful to let out a collective sigh of relief.
Perhaps nobody felt that relief more than goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
“At this point, the pressure has kind of fallen off. The weight of the world is off my shoulders,” Hellebuyck said on Tuesday. “And that has nothing to do with anyone else, that’s just the mental grind of that series. That being said, in that moment, it was like a second chance for me.”
The two-time Vezina winner is in his 10th season with the Jets, and making his seventh trip to the playoffs. But after a run to the West final in Hellebuyck’s first post-season, the team has failed to replicate the same success.
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Winnipeg’s first-round win over St. Louis was just its second playoff series win over the past seven seasons — the other a first round sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in 2021. And with the Jets finishing among the NHL’s best in each of the last two seasons, the pressure to succeed in the playoffs has only grown.
“It is one of those things that has been building over years, and I think it’s just because I want it so bad,” said Hellebuyck.
The first-round series got rough for the 31-year-old netminder on the road, where he was pulled in Games 3 and 4 while allowing a total of 11 goals. Hellebuyck has uncharacteristically struggled in the playoffs over the last three seasons, with a 4.10 goals against average and .861 save percentage.
But the Winnipeg fans never stopped supporting their goaltender, with the crowd continuing to chant “MVP” for the Hart Trophy nominee during Game 7.
“It’s hard to describe that, it’s just so awesome to be a part of that, (it’s) something I cherish so deeply (and) a big reason why I’m going to be a Jet for life,” said Hellebuyck. “This crowd believes in me, this team believes in me as much as I believe in myself. That’s dangerous. That’s when things get going and things get rolling.”
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