Hellebuyck excited to have ‘restart’ with Jets in Western 2nd Round against Stars

WINNIPEG -- Connor Hellebuyck was making the necessary saves during the third period and both overtimes for the Winnipeg Jets in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.

The goalie and Vezina Trophy finalist looked more like his strong, regular-season self after some rough outings during the first round, when he was pulled three times.

"You know, I think there was definitely ... I don't want to call it an awakening, but there was definitely a moment there where I was able to take my game to another level," Hellebuyck of his play in the Jets' 4-3 double-overtime win. "And feeling that, it definitely gives you some momentum and some confidence going into the next round.

"That being said, we're in some new territory that we haven't been in in a little while. 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."

For the first time since 2021, Winnipeg will play in the second round, starting with Game 1 against the Dallas Stars at Canada Life Centre on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN). The fact that Hellebuyck is entering this round feeling confident is great news for the Jets.

"I think that I mentioned to [the media] after the game that one of the toughest things in pro sports is getting out of the first round," Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. "It is hard. You've got the underdogs in there. Everybody's got a shot at it. There [are] no light opponents and people are coming fresh off the end of the season.

"And so for him, not just him, our whole group, to get through that first round, is now we can maybe take a breath, move, and again, move on to the next opponent and that's Dallas. Obviously it's going to be a big one but I think that's just a big weight off his shoulders and now he can reset. Hopefully he's feeling real good about himself and his game."

The final goal Hellebuyck allowed in Game 7 was to Blues forward Radek Faksa, who gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead with 35 seconds remaining in the second period.

"I think it was after the third one, in the intermission there, he said, 'They're not getting another one,'" Jets defenseman Neal Pionk said. "So, when he says something like that, he believes it. And we believed him, and we knew we had to get two more for him and then we're going to do the rest from there."

Hellebuyck didn't allow anything else, stopping the Blues' final 13 shots. The Jets did the rest in front of him, scoring two goals in the final 1:56 of the third period before captain Adam Lowry scored at 16:10 of double overtime.

Hellebuyck finished the first round 4-3 with a 3.85 goals-against average and .830 save percentage in seven games. He was pulled in all three games in St. Louis, where Winnipeg was outscored 17-5, but he was much better at home, where he was 4-0 with a 2.20 GAA and .885 save percentage.

The 31-year-old won the Vezina as the League's top goalie, in 2020 and last season. This season he's also a finalist for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player, after going 47-12-3 with a 2.00 GAA, .925 save percentage and a League-leading eight shutouts in 63 games (62 starts).

The Stars are expecting to see Hellebuyck at his award-winning level in this round.

"I'm sure he’s going to be great," Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said Tuesday. "I'm sure we're going to see the guy who's up for the Vezina and we have to be prepared for that."

That's the goalie Hellebuyck wants to be. He's getting another opportunity starting in the second round. Sure, there's a lot of pressure, but he's ready to handle it.

"It's one of those things [pressure] that has been building all those years, and I think it's just because I want it so bad," he said. "That being said, it was a long series. There were a lot of ups and downs. Probably the hardest part of goaltending is getting shelled, on the road, and getting pulled, and then coming back the next day and putting your best foot forward.

"That’s probably the biggest jump goaltenders make as they're growing up. No matter how much you think you've got a grip on it, there's always more of a learning curve and there's always more pressure on you and there are always different scenarios. I'm very thankful the guys in front of me did such a phenomenal job that series and got us through it. Now it's time to get back to what makes me, me."