Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck seems much more relaxed after his team narrowly avoided elimination in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
“I definitely felt a little something there,” Hellebuyck said Tuesday, via Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg News. “At this point, the pressure has kind of fallen off. The weight of the world is off my shoulders.”
Had the Jets not pulled off an improbable 4-3 comeback against the Blues in double overtime, critics may have blamed Hellebuyck.
The goalie struggled throughout Winnipeg’s first-round series against St. Louis. He was pulled three times and allowed 26 goals in seven games, strengthening the narrative that he is a regular-season performer who can’t elevate his game in the postseason.
In 10 seasons with the Jets, the 31-year-old has won two Vezina trophies and has posted a solid .918 save percentage. He had the league’s second-highest save percentage in 63 regular-season games during the 2024-25 season (.925).
Over his past three postseasons, though, his numbers have cratered. During this span, he has posted a subpar .860 save percentage. In their first-round exit against the Colorado Avalanche last season, he allowed 24 goals in five games.
Hellebuyck views Winnipeg’s second-round series against the Dallas Stars as an opportunity to end his postseason woes.
“We’re in some new territory that we haven’t been in in a little while,” Hellebuyck said of the Jets making their first second-round appearance since 2021, via McIntyre. “I’m really excited it’s a restart for me. Who cares about what just happened? We got through it, and moving forward here, I’m really excited to put my best foot forward and do my job.”
Hellebuyck’s job may not get any easier against Dallas. Stars left winger Jason Robertson — who led the team in goals (35 in 82 games) during the regular season — is expected to return from a lower-body injury in the series.
However, Hellebuyck had a postseason-high 26 saves in Game 7. Perhaps he’ll keep gaining momentum when the Jets host the Stars in Game 1 on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
