Struggles between the pipes

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This article was published 03/01/2017 (3169 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TAMPA BAY — By any objective measure, the Winnipeg Jets lack top-end goaltending this season. The duo of 23-year-old Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson, who turns 27 in March, is struggling to find consistency on the ice, which has led to growing criticism off it.

Neither goalie has a save percentage of .914, the current NHL average, though Hellebuyck, at .909, is much closer than Hutchinson, who is currently listed at .894. Both Hellebuyck (2.71) and Hutchinson (3.18) are also above the league average for goals against per game, which stood at 2.56 heading into Monday’s set of games.

Hellebuyck, the presumptive No. 1 for the Jets, given he has twice the number of starts as Hutchinson (26 compared to Hutchinson’s 13), is also the only one with a winning record this season (13-12-1 in 26 games). That edge could be in jeopardy as he’s likely to earn the nod against a good Tampa Bay Lightning team (19-15-4) when the two clubs face off tonight at Amalie Arena (6:30 p.m., TSN3, TSN 1290).

As the Jets inch closer to what feels like another lost season — Winnipeg is 17-19-3 and three points out of a playoff spot, with four teams ahead of them, all of which have games in hand — much of the criticism has landed at the feet of the two men patrolling Winnipeg’s crease.

“Not any more than the pressure we already put on ourselves to perform every night,” Hutchinson said following the Jets’ workout Monday at Tampa’s practice facility in Brandon, Fla.

“Everyone else has been criticizing us for maybe this season or a little bit longer. We’ve been criticizing ourselves for our whole life, so we’re a lot harder on ourselves than anyone else is.”

To be fair, Hutchinson was speaking in hypotheticals since he admits he hasn’t heard the outside noise. He and Hellebuyck prefer not to read the newspapers, nor does either scroll through social media to read what others are saying. They know, however, that life could be better; that they have things to work on if the Jets are to break out of their current rut.

“I don’t want to get any good or bad thoughts in my head,” said Hellebuyck. “So I avoid all that stuff.”

But as good as Hellebuyck said he is at shutting out any outside influences, he does admit this year has been challenging. At this point last season, Hellebuyck had an 8-4 record and was well into his bid to take over the starting role from Ondrej Pavelec, who was sidelined with a badly sprained knee.

When Pavelec returned to the lineup and Hellebuyck was sent back to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, Jets fans were outraged.

In turn, those fans were pleased when news broke Pavelec had been assigned to the Moose before the start of this season, a move that made it official the team’s brass saw Hellebuyck not only as the future, but also the present.

But when Hellebuyck’s performance — and numbers — began to dip, many of those who were in his corner back then became some of his harshest critics.

“It’s completely different,” said Hellebuyck, comparing the two seasons. “You’re definitely under the spotlight a lot more.”

He added: “Sometimes it is hard to get that weight off your shoulders.”

That burden has also been more visible. Three times this season, each time coming after Hellebuyck had been pulled from the net during a game, he has refused to speak to reporters after the game. The move is unconventional, and therefore was criticized by media looking to provide fans with an explanation for the poor performances.

But for Hellebuyck, it’s deeper than that. At the same time, it is simpler than just not wanting to face the music.

“I don’t want to say something dumb,” said Hellebuyck. “I don’t want to go out there and make dumb excuses and blame things that shouldn’t be blamed.

“It’s definitely a little harder under the spotlight because you want to look good for everyone,” he added. “You want to make the crowd happy and the organization happy.”

Despite their best efforts, the Jets have needed more from their goalies. Far too often this season the team has been unable to get a key save at a key moment in a game. Bad goals have crippled hot starts or stalled a potential comeback.

To be sure, it’s unfair — not to mention inaccurate — to place blame for all the Jets’ problems this season solely on goaltending. For all the “bad” goals that have been allowed, there have been an equal number of defensive breakdowns.

But like a quarterback in football, criticism — fairly or unfairly — tends to be placed on a goaltender more than any other position. After all, the goalie is supposed to stop the puck from going into the net, and therefore it’s natural to point fingers when they don’t.

“No one can really teach you how to deal with it,” said Hellebuyck. “They can just tell you to have thick skin.”

Throughout his four seasons in Winnipeg, Jets head coach Paul Maurice has grown a reputation for protecting his players, at least when it comes to public criticism. He broke from that trend last week when he claimed neither of his goalies has played well enough to be considered the team’s undisputed No. 1.

On Monday, he reverted back to his familiar, protective approach.

“We firmly believe that both of these goalies, with Connor being the younger of the two, are going to develop and get better. You are developing them to get better and to improve and we expect they will,” said Maurice. “We need to develop these guys, find out where their level is, project where they’re going with their game in order to make decisions on our goaltending going forward.”

It’s for this reason the Jets, at least not publicly, have shown little interest in bringing in a veteran goaltender. Of course, like any market, particularly a Canadian one, there have been plenty of rumours, including an effort to acquire Lightning goalie Ben Bishop. There’s even been chatter of a potential call-up for Pavelec, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

“I think they’re both exceptionally happy that there’s not the veteran guy because that means one of them is not here and the other guy is not getting as many games,” said Maurice. “This is the development phase that we’re in.”

That’s not to suggest there wouldn’t be an advantage in having a veteran NHL goaltender around, if not to gain more stability in net, then to at least provide guidance for Hellebuyck as he continues to mature.

“It’s hard for them, but it’s good for them,” said Maurice. “It’s a challenge for them right now as their confidence grows and their experience grows. The only way to do that is to get in between those pipes.”

Hellebuyck said he didn’t feel he was missing out by not having that kind of veteran presence around. Instead, he credited the guidance he gets from Hutchinson, who, including his time in the AHL, has seven years of pro experience. Whatever he may be missing from Hutchinson, Hellebuyck said, is more than made up for from the instruction he receives from Jets goaltending coach Wade Flaherty.

“I think we just expect for us to be perfect every single day, and I guess that’s where a veteran guy would maybe come in and say, ‘Just keep getting better every day and trust the process,’” said Hellebuyck, echoing the words he said he’s used for Eric Comrie, the Jets’ other blue-chip goaltending prospect, who is currently playing for the Moose.

“I’ve just got to take my own advice.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton