Conundrum in the crease

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This article was published 12/03/2022 (1275 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. LOUIS — Behind Door No. 1 is your franchise guy, the 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner who is currently struggling through arguably the most miserable stretch of his career. Behind Door No. 2 is your popular backup, a bit of an afterthought when the season began who has forced his way into the conversation with rock-solid play every time he gets the net. Which isn’t very often.

Which one are you choosing, Dave Lowry?

Calling this a full-blown goalie controversy might be a tad sensational at this point, but there’s no question the Winnipeg Jets are at a crossroads right now when it comes to the crease. And the decision on who gets to face the St. Louis Blues on Sunday evening — Connor Hellebuyck making his 50th start or Eric Comrie making his 11th — is one that might just have implications beyond a single hockey game.

No hints were offered Saturday, as the Jets took the day off here in Missouri after playing on back-to-back nights in Newark, N.J., and New York. A 2-1 victory over the Devils on Thursday night — thanks largely to Comrie’s 33-save effort — was quickly undone by a disappointing 5-2 defeat to the Islanders on Friday, which included Hellebuyck surrendering four goals on 37 shots.

Now comes the proverbial road trip rubber match, with two points at stake that the 26-23-10 Jets desperately need if they want to remain in the playoff race with just 23 regular-season games remaining and the trade deadline just eight days away, one which could see pending unrestricted free agents Andrew Copp and/or Paul Stastny sent packing.

If you’re simply going by numbers, starting Comrie over Hellebuyck should be a no-brainer. He’s 4-0-0 in his last four starts dating all the way back to Jan. 29. in which he made 28 saves inside Enterprise Center as the Jets beat these very same Blues 4-1. Hellebuyck, meanwhile, has given up four goals or more in six straight starts, a total of 26 over that span, and looks like a shell of his usual stellar self.

There’s no question the original plan was for Hellebuyck to play in St. Louis. But Lowry and his staff must be tempted to call an audible and go with the hot hand. Is it likely to sting Hellebuyck if he’s forced to watch from the bench? No question. He wants to play every game. But in a results-oriented business, one in which “what have you done for me lately” often factors into lineup decisions when it comes to forwards and defencemen, shouldn’t the same apply to the masked men?

Besides, St. Louis (34-17-7) just put up a touchdown in Nashville on Saturday afternoon, beating the Predators 7-4. What would another ugly outing do to Hellebuyck’s already fragile confidence? Maybe another night off and the chance for a mental refresh and re-set would do him well, especially with Vegas and Boston visiting Canada Life Centre this week.

Hellebuyck is clearly fighting the puck, and his penchant for giving up rebounds lately has been noticeable. But he’s getting very little help in front of him, with defencemen either unable or unwilling to box out their opponents, allowing for multiple chances that are ending up in the back of the net. The big, heavy Islanders had a field day in that department;

Still, it’s clear the topic of Hellebuyck’s play is a touchy one around the team these days. Alternate captain Josh Morrissey launched into a fiery defence of his teammate when the Free Press asked Friday night at UBS Arena if criticism is fair.

“That’s something that, for me, bothers me, because he’s been the heart and soul of our team back there since we’ve been relevant in the league,” Morrissey began.

“This guy battles and competes on pucks. And I mean, a few years ago, you look back at it, we wouldn’t have been able to be even close to getting into the play-in series that year (2020), if it wasn’t for him, and, and last year as well. I understand that, when you’re goaltender, you get that criticism and he puts more pressure on himself than any external source could, whether it’s media or anything like that. But you know what, it’s not fair to him.”

Morrissey, showing some true leadership, then pointed the finger of blame directly at himself and his fellow blue-liners.

“I mean, when you’ve got guys whacking at pucks in front of the net, that’s a tough place to ask your goaltender to make a second, third, fourth save. And I don’t know, look at the Tampa Bay game (7-4 Jets win last Tuesday). I mean, some pretty dangerous players walking down the pipe,” said Morrissey.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating to hear that. I certainly know that everyone in that room has full confidence in Helly and the type of goaltender he is so we’re not worried at all. We got to do a better job in front of him and make his job easier. We haven’t been good enough in front of him defensively so I don’t listen to that for a second.”

Other than a goaltending decision, Lowry might be tempted to shake things up even further. Forward Adam Brooks has been a healthy scratch for five straight games and could be inserted with the hope of adding some jump and offence. And young defenceman Ville Heinola, called up last week following an injury to Nathan Beaulieu, is patiently waiting for another chance to show his stuff at the NHL level.

It all adds a bit of intrigue to Sunday’s morning skate here in St. Louis. Stay tuned.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg