Practice Notebook - Nov. 26, 2022

When Connor Hellebuyck didn't step on the ice for practice with the rest of the Winnipeg Jets teammates in Chicago on Saturday, it wasn't unexpected.
After all, the practice was less than 24 hours after Hellebuyck was face down on the ice, with no mask, as the Dallas Stars tied the game with 20 seconds left in regulation.
We know now that Josh Morrissey's overtime winner gave the Jets the 5-4 win that night, and that Hellebuyck played all 34 seconds of that overtime.
His absence from practice on Saturday was for maintenance, a way for the Jets to keep the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner fresh as the schedule's intensity will continue at a torrid pace right up until January and beyond.
That extra time also gave the 29-year-old time to reflect on the scary moments leading up to Jason Robertson's tying goal, and to let his emotions come down to the stoic and baseline level Hellebuyck is known for.

The message he wanted to get across is that the rule around a goaltender's mask coming off is one that needs to be looked at and refined. Currently, rule 9.6 states that when a goalkeeper loses his mask and the opposing team has possession of the puck, play will only be stopped if there is no immediate and impending scoring opportunity.
"When a goalie's mask is knocked off or comes off, if it's not am immediate - and I mean like the puck's going in, getting tapped in - the whistle needs to be blown," said Hellebuyck. "Just like a player who loses his helmet has to go to the bench. He's allowed to finish the motion of the play but he has to go to the bench. The same thing should apply for a goalie."
The main issue that Hellebuyck has with the play isn't necessarily the contact Jamie Benn makes with him. The Jets goaltender acknowledges that Josh Morrissey made contact with Benn, who may have made contact with Hellebuyck's head anyway given where the puck was.
"Maybe I leaned a hair outside but my balance and my weight was in the crease, and he was coming right by my face," said Hellebuyck. "I think there was two passes and I don't even know if Jamie Benn got a point on that play. And that the initial guy who hit me and go the puck. So four seconds. I'm pretty sure we could have got a shot on the other net in four or five seconds. That tells you how much ice you can cover."

Adam Lowry was on the ice when the play happened, and is also the Jets representative on the National Hockey League Players Association's executive board.
"There's always going to be one side that's upset. At the same time, we remember just how dangerous it is if someone gets a puck in the head, just how fast that things can change," said Lowry, referencing the puck that hit Bryan Little, who has yet to play since that incident just over three years ago.
"Whether you're the team that kind of feels like you get screwed, you want player safety to be at the forefront," said Lowry. "I think that's going to be something that is going to get brought up and hopefully dealt with."
Hellebuyck, who sits on the Competition Committee as a representative for goaltenders, is hopeful the play can be used to make change.
"I get my voice out. I hate complaining without doing something about it. We talked about it last meeting," Hellebuyck said. "We don't want to see that anywhere in this league. So, the fact that happened last night is very
eye-opening and, hopefully, we can get better and get this rule changed."
ABOUT THAT PADDLE SAVE
While that particular play took up most of the conversation on Saturday, it wasn't the only thing to talk about.
Hellebuyck's paddle save on Tyler Seguin with just over 12 minutes left in the third period was one of the best off his career.
In fact, he ranks it as the second best stop he's ever made.
"I still think my glove save against Florida a few years back, or Tampa that was pretty good, too," Hellebuyck grinned. "Sometimes it takes a little bit of a luck and you could say there was a little bit of luck there but I earned it."

CLOSING GAMES
Even if Robertson's game-tying goal didn't count, Dallas still potted another goal at 6-on-5 (though Nate Schmidt's penalty had just expired, so it was essentially a 6-on-4).
In total, the Jets have allowed five goals against in the last three games. Three against Carolina, which turned a 3-0 lead into a 3-3 tie, and two against Dallas which turned a 4-2 lead into a 4-4 tie.
"it's such a razor thin margin for error," said Lowry. "We don't have to reinvent the wheel. It's just a little sharper at certain times in the game and that'll be the difference."

The small details Lowry is referencing come down to, in his words, winning a particular face-off or getting a clear when the team needs it.
"The Carolina ones, you look and I think a little bit of it is on our composure and our poise with the puck," he said. "We give up the one, a lot of them are shots from the wall, they do a great job of getting traffic and getting numbers to the net and sticks on pucks."
Head coach Rick Bowness said the consistent theme from all the goals has been point shots.
"The solution is to start blocking some shots and if you don't want to block a shot, don't expect to be out on the ice in those situations," he said. "All four of those goals are coming directly from the point shot form the D, we know where it's coming from and we just got to do a better job of blocking shots."
Still, the Jets remain confident in themselves, and Hellebuyck is at the forefront of that.
"I think if we continue on our way this won't be a trend. This will be an anomaly," Hellebuyck said. "I think in this locker room we have the I want to say the character to shut down games and we don't panic."