“He can’t stop what he can’t see”

Connor Hellebuyck knew the question was coming.

And the Winnipeg Jets goaltender wasted absolutely no time Monday in posing it to himself as he stood in front of a media horde inside Canada Life Centre.

“Am I going to be better?” Hellebuyck asked rhetorically. “I am going to be better. I’ve studied goaltending extremely hard. I’ve probably studied the most out of anyone in this world, so I know what to do and how to get my best game. So that’s what I’m looking forward to do. Time to bring it in Game 5.”

It was vintage Hellebuyck, following up a rare public showing of self-reflection with a heavy dose of self-confidence that has become his calling card. Anyone hoping to see a broken, humbled hockey player was about to be disappointed.

“You don’t love giving up that many goals, but we’re 2-2 in the series. That’s all that matters. Win the next one,” he said of Wednesday’s critical game with the Blues that will put the loser on the cusp of elimination.

“They played two good games. That being said we played two good games at home, too. At the end of the day we’re in a good spot. It’s a best of three. I like our odds and we’ve got home ice advantage. That’s where our mindset is going forward. That’s all we can do.”

This best-of-seven has been a series of major momentum swings. The Jets won Games 1 (5-3) and 2 (2-1) in downtown Winnipeg before things really took a turn in St. Louis, with lopsided losses in Game 3 (7-2) and Game 4 (5-1). Hellebuyck was pulled in the third period of both outings inside Enterprise Center after being beaten 11 times on 43 shots.

“I thought the first two games, our goaltending was better than theirs, second two games, their goaltending was better than ours. It’s plain and simple,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said following Monday’s optional practice.

Hellebuyck’s performances have once again revived an old narrative surrounding the Jets — that “playoff Hellebuyck” is often a completely different player than the stellar regular-season version.

For example, how does a guy with a league-leading, franchise-record 47 wins, a 2.00 goals-against average and .925 save percentage over 62 regular-season starts — all of which earned him another Vezina Trophy nomination on Monday — balloon to an eye-popping 4.24 goals-against average and .817 save percentage in four post-season games this spring?

“Honestly, it’s a surprise in my world,” admitted Hellebuyck, who insists he hasn’t personally changed anything about his preparation or approach to his job.

“It would be crazy to go that many regular-season games and then all of a sudden switch something up in the playoffs. You don’t win 47 games and then, come the playoffs, switch everything up. I know how it needs to look. I like a lot of things. I’m not going to go and make huge changes. That being said, I’m going to be better. That’s my job, and that’s the foot that I’m putting forward. I can’t be giving up this many goals.”

Hellebuyck led all NHL netminders in goals saved during the season, which is likely going to earn him plenty of Hart Trophy nominations considering voting was concluded before the playoffs. The 31-year-old, who is in the first year of his seven-year contract extension, is dead-last in the same category to start the playoffs.

“We don’t do what we do for 82 games and then all of a sudden lose it,” said Hellebuyck, who is now just 4-14 in his last 18 playoff games while giving up 69 combined goals and holding opponents to less than three goals on just three occasions.

“They’re a good team over there. They got really hot, and it was crazy for us to think, ever, that this was going to be an easy series. And no one did think that. In the position we are, it’s on to the next one. This is fun playoff hockey. It doesn’t matter if you lose 2-1 or 6-1. At the end of the day it’s a loss and you move on.”

There’s a case to be made that Winnipeg — which has been the stingiest defensive team in the league the last two years — has changed its style of play in front of Hellebuyck. St. Louis did a terrific job in their own barn getting traffic in front of the Jets’ net, scoring several times off screens and deflections.

“The feeling is that we’ve got to do a better job in front of him. He’s the best goalie in the world, but he can’t stop what he can’t see,” said defenceman Neal Pionk, who had one of those Blues shots bounce in off of him on Sunday afternoon. He preached a “back to basics” approach.

“We’ve got to take their sticks out of the way and push them out of the way so he can see the puck.”

Hellebuyck was asked if he’s getting enough help.

“We’re a team in here, we’re not pointing fingers at anyone,” he replied. “We’re going to do this together.”

The effective adjustments made by the Blues would seem to mirror what the Colorado Avalanche were able to do so effectively last year in eliminating the Jets in five games, lighting Hellebuyck up for 24 goals in the process. The Vegas Golden Knights had similar success the year before in scoring 18 times in their five-game series victory.

“I think there’s a blueprint of how teams want to play us,” admitted Hellebuyck.

“That being said, it’s not like we don’t have an answer for it. I believe in that game. I’ve played in this league enough to know that game can work and that game can win. The worst thing we can do is to try and tinker and mess with what works for us. We just need to bring it for 60 minutes. Every single guy in this room puts a little bit more, plays a little bit better, and we’re going to be just fine.”

While backup goaltender Eric Comrie was mopping up in the final period of both games in Missouri, Hellebuyck was serenaded with chants of “We Want Connor” by Blues fans who were loving what they were seeing. He admitted the mental battle this time of year is as important as anything physical.

“Playoff time, that’s one of the most important attributes you can have, is being strong between the ears,” he said.

“You don’t want to go into a game playing with fear. If you play with fear, that’s when you start to actually make mistakes and want things back. We go out, we play our game and you continue to be better every single shift, every single game and every single day. That’s my mindset moving forward, and I’m looking forward to that.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg