Jets get Hellebump from return of MVP goaltender

Connor Hellebuyck could feel the nagging discomfort in his knee as early as training camp. But the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy figured he could keep playing through it.

No pain, no gain, right?

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s kind of where I was for a bit,” the Winnipeg Jets goaltender shared on Saturday night. “And then it finally broke, so I had to fix it.”

Hellebuyck went under the knife on Nov. 22, officially sidelined with the first injury of his 11-year career. Doctors told him to expect a four-to-six-week recovery, but the fiercely competitive goaltender with 331 career NHL victories figured he’d be able to beat that.

Sure enough, he was back in the crease exactly three weeks to the day he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and not a moment too soon for a Jets team that went 2-8-1 in his absence.

A solid 24-save performance on Saturday night in a 5-1 win against the Washington Capitals was just what the doctor ordered for a group that seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

“There was a lot of excitement around the room and the guys really brought it tonight,” said Hellebuyck. “They did everything and more tonight. They blocked shots, they let me see pucks, they really controlled the pace of the game. Our execution was real good tonight. So, top to bottom, everyone just worked so hard.”

Hellebuyck looked like he might be on the verge of his first shutout of the year, but penalties to Gabe Vilardi (tripping) and Luke Schenn (holding) 41 seconds apart but the Jets at a prolonged 5-on-3 disadvantage late in the third period. Defenceman Jakob Chychrun finally got a puck past him with just more than three minutes remaining.

Still, the Jets helped ensure his return went as smoothly as possible, putting one one of their best defensive performances of the year. Washington was limited to just three high-danger chances at even strength, and six overall.

“I had a blast tonight and they played great for me tonight, so very grateful they really stepped on the gas and made my arrival a lot easier,” said Hellebuyck.

Did he bring a sense of calmness to a group that had been plagued by plenty of chaos lately? A Hellebump, if you will?

“It’s hard for me to put that into words because I’m just doing my job back there,” said Hellebuyck. “This core has just been together for so long and I’ve been very grateful to play a lot of games. You just have a way of playing with this core. We just meshed a certain way. Getting back in there feels great and I just felt like I hadn’t missed any time.”

Hellebuyck admitted the mental battle might have been as difficult as the physical one as he quickly tried to work his way back into game shape. It’s not like he has any history of recovering from injuries to lean on.

“It stinks,” he said. “Any time you’re watching your team play and just want to be back in there and do everything you can, and you just can’t. So, you just feel for the guys over the years who have had those injuries and those long injuries. It’s so much more fun playing.”

There may be some who felt a desperate Jets team was “rushing” Hellebuyck back, but that’s simply not the case. The team has far too much invested in their franchise goaltender, who is in the second year of a seven-year contract, to take such a risk.

Also, there’s no chance Hellebuyck, his agent, his trainer or any other members of his inner-circle would have signed off on that — especially with the Olympics just around the corner.

“I know, as soon as he was injured he flipped that script like this is the next challenge,” said teammate and fellow Michigan product Kyle Connor, who will be suiting up with him in Milan for the American squad in February.

“He (was) getting great treatment along with his great habits and doing everything he can to get back as quick as possible. Not a shock that it is on the early side of it.”

Now that he’s back, what kind of workload might he be looking at for a Jets team that will need to go on a run to get back in the playoff picture? The original plan at the start of the year was to try to get Hellebuyck fewer than 60 starts, with backup Eric Comrie making more than 20.

Hellebuyck is now 9-6-0 through 15 starts this year, with a 2.41 goals-against-average and .916 save-percentage. Comrie has also made 15 starts, going 6-8-1 with a 3.30 GAA and .886 SV%.

“No, it’s the same thing. We manage it the same way,” Hellebuyck said. “Just because I’m back doesn’t mean we’re going to change our system. We have a good mesh and we have a good system and good management and we’re going to take it day by day just like we were before I left.”

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