Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said Hellebuyck has appeared confident and comfortable.
"Obviously he's played well and he's just going to keep getting better and keep getting more comfortable," Keefe said. "He's just stepped right in like he's been here all along."
Forward Jesper Bratt said Hellebuyck's personality and competitiveness have made the transition feel natural.
"From Day 1, it felt like he had been here for a while," Bratt said. "He just fit into our group in the room really, really well. He's competitive. You see it in the room, you see it in practice, and he just fit into our group perfectly."
One adjustment involves Hellebuyck's puck-handling. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler said the Devils are learning where to position themselves when the goalie leaves the crease to play the puck.
"He's very comfortable with it, and he makes pretty good plays," Siegenthaler said. "I think we're still a little bit adjusting to his plays. As a defenseman, if you have a new goalie you want to feel out what his tendencies are, how you've got to position yourself, if you've got to be close to the net or farther off."
Siegenthaler said Hellebuyck also raises the intensity level in practice.
"If you score on him, he doesn't like it," Siegenthaler said. "That's probably why he's one of the best goalies in the League. He doesn't really take it easy in practice or in games, so it's good to see how hard he works, and he kind of makes you work harder as well."
That competitiveness will be tested if he faces the Oilers. McDavid has 51 points (11 goals, 40 assists) and 98 shots on goal in 32 games against Hellebuyck. The goalie has stopped 87 of those shots for an .888 save percentage.
And McDavid comes into the game on a historic streak. He has a point in all 15 of the Oilers’ games this season (11-2-2), and on Sunday became the fastest player in League history to 30 assists, breaking Wayne Gretzky's record of 16 games in 1984-85.
Hellebuyck said McDavid's balance and ability to change direction at top speed make him especially difficult to read.
"His speed will push defenders back and really make you make tough decisions," Hellebuyck said. "But his balance, being able to go both directions, that's what makes it hard to read because he's not really committing to one or the other."
McDavid leads the NHL with 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists) in 15 games. He also leads the League with 15 power-play points, all assists.
"You can't help but take notice of the pace that he's set," Keefe said of McDavid. "Power play, 5-on-5, he's just so dangerous and drives so much for their team. It's reaching outrageous."
Hellebuyck said numbers cannot fully account for the defensive support, available time and space or circumstances surrounding each McDavid scoring chance.
"You could draw it down to a little 1-on-1 between me and him, but it's just really not how it works," Hellebuyck said. "Hockey is a team sport. When you're looking up all these numbers, there's more to the story."
His first appearance in front of the Devils home crowd, however, gives Hellebuyck another reason to anticipate Tuesday. The Devils also host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
"I'm pretty excited," Hellebuyck said. "I'm just having fun. I learned a while ago that you can't stress too much about the NHL. You've got to go out and have fun, trust your process, trust the hard work you put in and really enjoy the time that you have here."
