Hellebuyck is back

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This article was published 26/10/2023 (711 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DETROIT — When Connor Hellebuyck is dialed in, it is generally good news for the Winnipeg Jets and bad news for opponents.

After getting off to a sluggish start by his lofty standards, the Jets All-World goalie is back in peak form, as he made 35 saves to backstop his team to a 4-1 victory over the upstart Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night in NHL action at Little Caesars Arena.

With friends and family members in attendance, Hellebuyck helped the Jets withstand a furious push from the Red Wings during the third period and then unleashed his trademark fist pump with his blocker after the final buzzer sounded.

Hellebuyck has won three consecutive games as he started for the sixth time in seven outings and he’s given up only five goals in his past three games, as he’s lowered his goals-against average to 2.99 and raised his save percentage to .899.

“We think he’s the best goalie in the league,” said Jets right-winger Mason Appleton, who scored an important insurance marker and added an assist on the empty-netter. “At the start of the season, we were getting scored on a little bit more than we liked. A little bit more than he liked as well. But you know when you’ve got such an elite goaltender it’s only a matter of time until he gets his game exactly where he needs it and wants it.

“So to see him battle like that these last couple games has been huge. He’s the backbone of our hockey team and the reason why we’re going to be a dang good team this year.”

Hellebuyck made 19 of those saves during the third period, including one off the stick of NHL goal-scoring leader Alex DeBrincat during a Red Wings power play when it was still a one-goal game.

“He’s been going here for the last few games. He took charge of that one,” said Jets associate coach Scott Arniel. “I know it’s a kind of a hometown game for him, that one. But he was big out there. He was rock solid, made the stops when we needed them, certainly in that first 10 minutes to start the third. And then he brought it home for us.”

The ability to withstand a serious push by a team like the Red Wings (who are now 5-2-1) and protect the lead is an important building block for the Jets.

“I thought towards the end of the second and early in the third they really jumped on us for a little bit,” said Appleton. “But we defended hard, weathered the storm and got a timely goal. Kind of took the wind out of their sails a bit. On the road, a 2-1 game, that’s what you want going into the third. We battled our butts off tonight and we earned that win.”

With the win, the Jets improved to 4-3 on the season, putting together their first three-game winning streak of this young campaign.

“You know, (with) how we started the season, you stare at the record and you’re like ‘Dang, I can’t believe this is where we’re at right now.’ But you over analyze early in the season,” said Appleton. “Maybe we all did a little bit of that. But now we’re back in the positive win column. Heating up right now.”

The Jets close out this two-game swing against Eastern Conference opponents on Saturday night at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens.

1. Snapping the goose egg — Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers had gone six games without a goal and had shown some signs of frustration, but he worked his way through the early drought and found the back of the net to open the scoring at 16:26 of the first period. Ehlers had six shots on goal and eight shot attempts and was noticeable throughout. “You know what, I thought that was (Ehlers’) best game of the year,” said Arniel. “He’s had a little trouble here getting going, with him missing (almost) all of training camp. He skated great, he held onto pucks and made really good plays.”

2. Getting on the board Part 2 — Jets winger Nino Niederreiter had shown signs of being a bit snakebitten through the first six games as well, going without a goal despite 13 shots on net. He was rewarded with an empty-netter with 62 seconds to go. The relief is a real thing. “Oh, I mean I remember my first year I went about 10 games without anything and I got an empty netter in San Jose and it started coming again,” said Ehlers. “We always say it doesn’t matter how they go in, it really doesn’t. So he’ll be good. Absolutely.” More importantly, he was part of the shutdown line with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton that did an excellent job against the Red Wings top trio. “We were trying to match them up as much as possible with (Dylan) Larkin’s line,” said Arniel. “If you can score when you’re playing against those guys, as they did twice, that’s big.”

3. Heating up — For all of the consternation about Cole Perfetti moving from centre to wing, you can’t argue with his level of production since the move was made. Perfetti made a deft pass to Ehlers on the goal to give him a goal and three points during his past four games. “I like what Cole’s been doing. He’s got great vision and he sees the ice real well. That line has got some chemistry, they’ve been playing well together,” said Arniel . “Hopefully he keeps building on what he’s been doing.”

4. Solid job by the PK — The Jets penalty kill had allowed seven goals in 24 attempts while shorthanded going into the contest, but they kept the Red Wings power play (41.4 per cent, second in NHL) off the board (0-2) with a diligent effort. “I think we’ve kind of been scratching our heads a little bit on the kill,” said Appleton. “You have such an elite penalty kill last season and (had) given up some early this season. But we’re confident in our kill. I think it was just a matter of time, honestly.”

5. The change — There was some welcome news for those who are hoping to enjoy a hockey-football doubleheader on Nov. 11. The NHL announced that puck drop for the Jets game against the Dallas Stars was bumped back to 2 p.m. CT. There’s a CFL playoff game with a kickoff set for just after 5:30 pm CT featuring the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, so it should be a sports Saturday to remember.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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