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Connor Hellebuyck is set to join the 500 club as the Winnipeg Jets continue a five-game homestand Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
It’s the fifth consecutive start for Hellebuyck as he hits the major milestone in his ninth NHL season.
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“It’s a big deal in the goalie world. I know the three big accolades are 500 games played, 300 wins and 40 shutouts. I’m very close to all three of them, so it would be very cool to achieve those three,” said Hellebuyck, who is making his 55th start of the campaign. “It’s a (testament) to the guys in front of me, and I’ve been at the same club this entire time. I feel very grateful that I’ve been able to build a legacy here in Winnipeg. And I’ve been around a lot of the same guys for most of it, so it’s been, I don’t want to say a dream come true, but definitely a milestone that I’m going to cherish.”
A fifth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Hellebuyck has developed into one of the premier goalies around the league and inked a seven-year contract extension just before this season got underway.
“That’s what’s even crazier. I still feel young in this league,” said Hellebuyck. “It’s a big testimony to the hard work I’m putting in and the staff and how much everyone believes in me. It’s easy in this sport for it to become just a business, to turn on guys. And they haven’t turned on me yet, and that’s why I am proud to be a Winnipeg Jet for life.”
Hellebuyck’s first NHL game came on Nov. 27 of 2015 against the Minnesota Wild.
“Yes. I do remember the first one. It feels just like yesterday, too. I had butterflies the entire night. I woke up with butterflies and they never really went away,” said Hellebuyck. “Thankfully, it was a pretty easy win in Minnesota. I want to say it was 2-1, maybe it ended up 3-1 with an empty-netter. But I just remember how fast it’s gone and now looking at my future, contractually it’s shorter than what I’ve gone through, but you never know how the future unfolds. I really better cherish these last remaining years and give it all I’ve got.”
In an age where many teams around the leagues are shifting to more of a tandem situation instead of rolling out a workhorse that is in the 55-to-60 game range, Hellebuyck is a throwback.
Hellebuyck’s first NHL game came on Nov. 27 of 2015 against the Minnesota Wild. (Erin Hooley / The Associated Press files)
“He’s a competitor. And like I said, he wants the ball. You give him 82 games, he’d take every one of them,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “But again, it’s one thing to have elite athletic ability. It’s another thing to back it up with elite competitiveness and he has that and a tremendous, tremendous work ethic and a tremendous focus every game and he comes in and he’s a true pro. You want your premier players to be true pros. He’s a true pro. He shows up. Low maintenance, just goes to work and he gets ready for the next game.”
The Jets are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights (that included a pair of empty-net goals) and looking to snap a five-game losing streak (0-4-1) against a Senators team that is in next-year country but has played better of late, reeling off four consecutive victories going into this one.
“They’re a fast team and Jacques (Martin) has got them playing really well,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “And they come out of the gate hard every night. They’re a good team. And we all know they’re a good team. And for whatever reason, things went off the rails for them earlier in the year. But they’re certainly playing their best hockey right now.”
The Jets will make a pair of lineup changes: Gabriel Vilardi is in up front for David Gustafsson, while Nate Schmidt returns on defence in place of Dylan Samberg.
The return of Vilardi figures to have a positive impact on the Jets, even if some time will be required for the forward to get up to speed.
“I mean, obviously, your first thought is always you want to be on the ice with a team and battling and that sucks to see the team you know, struggling and losing and you want to be out there and helping and be a part of that battle,” said Vilardi. “So obviously, there’s that aspect of it, in terms of the power play. I mean, we had a lot of good looks (on Thursday). Just watching the last few games, obviously we’re not scoring but excited to get back out there and like I said, just be a part of that grind and feeling like I’m part of the team, just being by myself, just kind of hanging out. It’s not really the best feeling, so excited for that again.
Bowness made it clear he would be monitoring Vilardi’s ice time, but he reiterated that Vilardi was “gung ho” to play and the top line figures to get a boost from his presence.
“To see him back and healthy and skating with the guys, it’s been huge,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “He’s a big part of our team, a big part of a lot of areas of our team. It’s obviously awesome to see him back healthy and out there with us.”
Here’s some other information to get you ready.
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: There’s no question we will be watching the deepest, most balanced lineup of the season tonight when the Jets hit the ice. Vilardi was already out when Tyler Toffoli was added at the trade deadline, so this is the first time Bowness will truly have every available weapon at his disposal.
I’d even entertain an argument that this is the deepest, most balanced lineup of ANY season in Jets 2.0 history. The fact the likes of defenceman Dylan Samberg and forward Cole Perfetti are on the outside looking in speaks to that.
At the very least, it’s comparable to what we saw in the spring of 2018 when the Jets made their magical run to the Western Conference Final.
Can this group have a similar playoff performance? Time will tell, but the benefit to getting Vilardi back now is having a bit of runway to find the perfect fit for all parties. Fact is, what they do starting in three weeks from now is much more important than what they do over the next three weeks.
Winnipeg’s record as of April 20 will reset to 0-0, the exact same as their first-round opponent. And whether the Jets finish first, second, third in the Central, or even in a wildcard spot, they’re going to have their hands full against a very good team with an identical 0-0 record. As I’ve said before, it’s what they can do in the playoffs that will ultimately tell the tale on this season — much more so than the natural ebbs and flows that come over a marathon 82-game campaign.
I must say I’m a bit surprised that Hellebuyck is in net, making it five starts just in the last eight days alone. No, he didn’t finish last Saturday’s game on Long Island, but that’s still a lot of work over a short span. He’s now on track to play 60 of the 82 games this year, which is several more than I predicted at the start of the year, especially with such a capable backup in Laurent Brossoit.
Finally, can the Jets make it four straight sellouts? I say they likely do, given that it’s Fan Appreciation Night and a Saturday evening of a long weekend. As I wrote the other day, the box office is booming lately even if the on-ice performance hasn’t always been up to par.
KEN SAYS: With the exception of the second period against the Edmonton Oilers, the Jets efforts have been pretty solid on this homestand, but they don’t have anything tangible to show for it, other than the single point for the overtime defeat after rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the third period.
They took another step forward against the Golden Knights but gave up a late goal to Ivan Barbashev and a pair of empty-net tallies as the losing streak extended to tie a season high. Can this group stick to the process but find a way to convert a few more opportunities after generating 78 shot attempts on Thursday?
The Senators aren’t going to make life easy on the Jets, who are set to wrap up their busiest stretch of the season, as this is the 17th game played in a 31-day span.
The Jets won the first meeting of the season in overtime, as Nikolaj Ehlers had a dazzling dash past Jakob Chychrun for the game-winner. That gave Ehlers 10 goals and 22 points in 20 career games against the Senators.
Ottawa forward Claude Giroux has eight goals and 31 points in 36 career games against the Jets, but I will be keeping a close eye on centre Shane Pinto.
Pinto, who played at the University of North Dakota, has eight goals and 25 points in 31 games since returning to the Senators lineup after serving a suspension for violating NHL gambling policies.
This was a game I thought Brossoit might start as well, but Hellebuyck is 11-4 in his career against the Senators, with a 2.34 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in 15 games.
My expectation is that after Hellebuyck has started five consecutive games that Brossoit is going to play either against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday or Thursday against the Calgary Flames.
Senators goalie Joonas Korpisalo has enjoyed plenty of success against the Jets during his career (though it’s a small sample size), as he’s 4-1-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in five games.
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