Hellebuyck steps up Winnipeg’s game

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This article was published 15/10/2017 (2889 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is the most surprising development of this young season for the Winnipeg Jets. And it’s creating an interesting dilemma for the team’s deep thinkers.

Steve Mason, the prized free-agent signing over the summer meant to stabilize a shaky goalie situation, has quickly been overshadowed and pushed to the bench by the strong play of Connor Hellebuyck.

Winnipeg has rattled off three straight wins with Hellebuyck in net, surrendering just five goals in the process. Hellebuyck has stopped 95 of the 100 shots he’s faced in that span.

“I’ve been working all summer for this,” he said following Saturday night’s impressive 28-save performance in his team’s 2-1 win over Carolina.

“I wanted to start with getting my confidence back and getting my poise back in the net. Then I got a new trainer and he was teaching me about the biomechanics and how the body moves and all that, so I was really learning how to become faster and more set, more square. It fit perfectly for my game.”

It certainly shows.

“He’s taken a huge step,” forward Nikolaj Ehlers said Saturday night. “He’s kept us in the games, he’s given us a chance to win. That’s what we needed. It’s great for him, great for us.”

Mason was the anointed starter out of training camp, but he didn’t exactly come bursting out of the starting blocks with his new team. He was pulled early in the third period of the season-opening 7-2 loss to Toronto, then struggled a few nights later as the Jets were thumped 6-3 by Calgary in their first road game.

The Jets turned to Hellebuyck last Monday in Edmonton, likely thinking it would just provide a one-game breather to Mason. But Hellebuyck was fantastic in keeping the high-flying Oilers in check as his team snapped their losing skid with a 5-2 win. He carried that momentum into Vancouver and a 4-2 victory, then made it three in a row back home on Saturday night.

So how do you take the crease away from him?

Mason is no doubt chomping at the bit waiting to try and redeem himself. And the organization certainly didn’t hand out a US$4.1-million contract over the next two seasons with the idea that Mason would spend extended time on the bench. The thinking was Hellebuyck struggled last year without much of a safety net in place, so bringing in an experienced starter like Mason would buy everyone some more time.

Is it possible that time has arrived quicker than anyone anticipated? One good week, of course, hardly makes a season. And things can change in a hurry. But Hellebuyck is certainly playing with the poise right now of a No. 1 goalie.

“He’s a little bit more comfortable and confident because it isn’t quite the storm of odd-man rushes at him or back door tap-ins. Goalies are players just like players are, so when an offensive guy isn’t putting the puck in the net, maybe he’s not feeling so confident about himself. The same is true for goalies. We’re trying to let him see pucks and you can see his confidence growing,” captain Blake Wheeler said following Saturday’s game.

And there’s the rub. Perhaps Hellebuyck would have been just as exposed as Mason was had he started those first two games, considering how loosey-goosey they appeared to be playing defensively. (It’s worth noting Hellebuyck was beaten for two third-period goals in the first game against Toronto after Mason was yanked following the first five.)

The Jets have said they’re all in this season to make a playoff push, so one would think playing the hot hand would trump any other considerations.

Head coach Paul Maurice admitted prior to Saturday’s game that Hellebuyck has earned the opportunity. However, he hinted Mason may get his next shot sooner rather than later, saying they would “look at him for Columbus.” The Jets host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

Winnipeg’s early schedule is also conducive to riding one goalie. There have been multiple off-days and no back-to-backs, meaning fatigue certainly isn’t an issue. But it also makes it difficult to find enough work for both men.

For example, if Mason were to start Tuesday, the next Jets game isn’t until Friday against Minnesota. Would the team really want red-hot Hellebuyck to go almost a full week between starts? But if Mason were to sit again, he’d be looking at nearly two weeks between appearances at the minimum.

Hellebuyck insists he isn’t worried, choosing to focus on things he can control — namely, stopping as many pucks as possible whenever his number is called.

“It doesn’t just happen in games, it happens in practices and my work habits and being ready every day. If I’m having a bad day, I got to come back the next day and really ramp it up,” he said. “That’s what I needed to learn in becoming a pro, along with learning the new style I’m talking about over the summer. It’s the perfect fit for this.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg