Hellebuyck backstops Jets to 4-3 win over Leafs

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This article was published 09/03/2021 (1642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Memo to the Toronto Maple Leafs: You just got Hellebuycked.

It may not be very pretty. It’s definitely not conventional. And it may not be sustainable. But the Winnipeg Jets sent another strong reminder to the NHL on Tuesday night — as long as they have a Vezina Trophy winner in net, along with a deep group of strong finishers up front, they can hang with anybody.

That includes first-place Toronto, who are now looking over their shoulders at a hard-charging Winnipeg club which came into Scotiabank Arena Tuesday night and escaped with a 4-3 victory. Those who don’t follow the Jets on a regular basis would likely describe this as a rather improbable two points. For those who do, it followed a familiar script.

Connor Hellebuyck made 36 saves, many of them of the absurd variety, as the Jets improved to 16-8-1 on the year, including 7-2-0 in the past nine. The second-place squad is now just five points behind the 18-7-2 Maple Leafs, who have lost three straight in regulation.

“I’ve spent a lot of years in the league, with good men, decent goaltenders. But that guy (Hellebuyck) is in that elite level,” said Jets coach Paul Maurice, who will likely add this game to the growing personal pile of examples of what he’s previously referred to as “horse(bleep) analytics” when it comes to evaluating the state of his team.

Consider the following: Scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, were 51 to 20. High-danger chances were even more lopsided at 24-6. Toronto won the Corsi battle handily at 62.73 per cent to 37.27 per cent. All of those so-called fancy stats suggest this should have been a rout for the home team. If you prefer more basic numbers, shots were 39-23 for the Maple Leafs, and shot attempts were 69-41.

And yet, it was the Jets who were celebrating at the final buzzer as they kicked off the first of three straight games against the Maple Leafs this week.

“I think we are just coming in, knowing we are up against the No. 1 team here in the North Division and we are coming off a game that we didn’t like, so we knew that we needed to be ready,” said defenceman Josh Morrissey.

“Bottom line is when you’re going up against the top team in the division you want to bring your best and I thought we played a really solid game in a lot of areas. Some things we will work on, and we know that they will make adjustments there as well. But that’s what these little mini-series are and that’s what make these little mini-series fun.”

This one also followed a familiar personal storyline for Hellebuyck, who didn’t have a lot of fun last Saturday night in Montreal after giving up four goals on 19 shots and getting pulled. The Jets ultimately lost that game 7-1, but Hellebuyck has shown a remarkable bounce-back ability over his career.

“I think you just use it for energy, really. I felt good in the last game, and I didn’t let that weigh on my brain at all. Sometimes the puck just doesn’t bounce your way. After that game, I was just straight focused on the next one, and ready to get all my energy and show that I’m better than that,” said Hellebuyck.

That mindset appears to be contagious for the entire team, in fact. Winnipeg is now 7-0-1 following a regulation loss, which is tops in the NHL. They are also 7-4-0 when trailing after the first period, as they were once again on Tuesday.

“I think just that nobody panicked. Obviously, when you lose like that nobody likes the feeling. But right after the game Paul (Maurice) comes in and tells us to park it. We had a couple days in between games, which is nice, and I think we have enough veteran players in our locker room where sometimes you’re going to have games like that and it’s about how you respond,” said Morrissey.

Zach Hyman opened the scoring at 8:16 when Nathan Beaulieu took himself out of position by attempting to throw a hit, giving the rugged Toronto winger an open lane to the net. Andrew Copp tied the game at 12:20 for the Jets when he deflected a Neal Pionk point shot with his team on the power play for his fifth of the season. But leading NHL scorer Auston Matthews restored the lead on a Toronto man advantage at 17:44, re-directing a Morgan Rielly shot.

Winnipeg stepped it up during a solid second period that included scoring the only two goals. First up was Morrissey, whose shot from the point went through a screen at 12:45. It’s the first of the season for the defenceman, who shaved his beard off before the game and cited the fresh new look as a factor.

“I’ll probably keep this look for a while,” he joked.

Kyle Connor made it 3-2 at 17:42 following a sensational play by linemate Nikolaj Ehlers, who streaked into the Toronto zone, slammed on the brakes behind the net and then threaded a perfect pass his way. It’s a prime example of how Winnipeg’s skilled forwards don’t need a whole lot of time and space to strike. Connor’s team-leading 12th gave the Jets a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

Mason Appleton added some insurance at 7:53 of the final frame, taking pass from Copp, cutting hard to the net and beating Frederik Andersen with a power move. His seventh of the year adds to a career-high he’s already set.

The Jets needed that one when Matthews scored his second of the night at 18:06, with Anderson out for an extra attacker. He’s now up to 20 on the season, despite currently dealing with a nagging wrist injury.

But that’s all that would get by Hellebuyck, whose performance included two brilliant saves on Toronto’s Mitch Marner in the third period alone.

“He was awesome. The game before, he gets pulled. You know what kind of Connor Hellebuyck you’re going to get the next night. And you saw that he made a ton of big saves, especially late in the game. He’s so calm and composed back there. He’s our rock and he wins a lot of hockey games for us. I thought he was incredible,” said Appleton.

The Jets played more than half the game with just five defenceman after Beaulieu injured his hand blocking a shot early in the second period. That upped the minutes for everyone else, with Morrissey leading the way at 29. Beaulieu will be further evaluated on Wednesday.

Winnipeg has now beaten every team in the division at least once, as they began the night just 0-1-0 against Toronto. The two teams will meet again Thursday and Saturday, and then play another six times before the season ends in early May.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg