Jets coach has plenty of praise for rookie goalie

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This article was published 05/01/2016 (3562 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — He might have been cautious before — after all, it’s tough to get a read on a 22-year-old rookie goaltender — but Paul Maurice must be tempted now.

The Winnipeg Jets coach has referenced running with a hot goalie for long stretches before — it was Michael Hutchinson and Ondrej Pavelec at different times last season — and now he has a new candidate in Connor Hellebuyck.

The young American was superb in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators, kicking out 43 of the 44 shots he faced.

“He was consistent, wasn’t he?” said Maurice. “He played, believe it or not, a similar game — although not nearly the volume — in San Jose (in Saturday’s 4-1 win). He’s just square all the time. Some of them, when you look at the video, are tougher saves than are tougher saves than they look. It looked like he saw everything and he moves so efficiently in the net. You had that feeling early on it was going to have to be something unusual to beat him.”

So the question becomes, again, this: how much will Maurice run him in the days/weeks ahead?

It’s a topic that came up after Tuesday’s morning skate when Maurice’s usage of Arturs Irbe during their days together in Carolina, was broached.

During a three-year stretch from 1998-99 to 2000-01, Irbe appeared in 61, 75 and 76 games for Maurice’s Canes. The difference is, Irbe was a 31-year-old-plus vet with his fourth NHL team at the time. Hellebuyck is 22 and now has 13 starts under his belt — with a 9-4 record, 1.93 goals-against average and save percentage of .935

“Just look at the block of games that we’re in… who Connor is today isn’t necessarily who Connor was the first game that he went in his National Hockey League career,” said Maurice. “So we were a little careful early on letting him build up some of his confidence.

“We’re in a stretch of seven (games) in 12 (days) and seven in 11 is about the toughest schedule you can find in the NHL. I didn’t’ have Connor playing all seven of those games. He’s going to get very close to it.

“I’m comfortable with where he’s at. I’ve got to be careful with how you say this: he’s earned the right to get back in the net if things don’t go his way. We did it with him coming out of the Edmonton and Calgary games, coming back with him. He’s played very well. We’re going to play him as much as his play has dictated, which means an awful lot.”

TUXEDO NIGHT TO A TRACK SUIT MATINEE? Jets faithful made ‘Tuxedo Night’ a thing back in their 1.0 existence in an attempt to dispel the notion Winnipeg was a “hick town” and might be on to another organic trend.

With Evander Kane and the Buffalo Sabres in town Sunday afternoon, Jets fans have pegged the showdown ‘Track Suit’ day, a tribute to the circumstances that led to the winger being traded last February.

Kane was asked about his impending return to Winnipeg Tuesday by reporters in Buffalo.

“It’s my first time ever being traded so it will be a new experience for me going back and playing against a team I used to play for,” Kane told Sportsnet. “I’m sure it will be interesting and entertaining. It’s something I’m not focusing on right now, obviously, with a couple games before that. But I’m sure it will be entertaining.”

Asked what he meant about “entertaining” Kane grinned.

“I’ll probably be just as entertained as everyone else so I’ll have to wait to see and find out what the entertainment is going to be. But I know there will be a hockey game, so that’s the entertainment I’ll be participating in.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait