Jets' Hellebuyck relieved to hit reset button against Dallas after dismal performance in Round 1

Judy Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 06, 2025 7:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Connor Hellebuyck says helium feels similar he's been fixed a 2nd accidental to amusement what helium tin bash for the Winnipeg Jets.

After faltering astatine times during Winnipeg's opening-round Stanley Cup playoff bid against the St. Louis Blues, the prima goalie is carrying a lighter intelligence load aft past Sunday's 4-3 double-overtime Game 7 victory.

"At this point, the unit has benignant of fallen off," Hellebuyck told reporters aft the team's optional skate connected Tuesday.

"The value of the satellite is disconnected my shoulders. And that had thing to bash with anyone else, it's conscionable the intelligence grind of that series. That being said, successful that infinitesimal it was similar a 2nd accidental for me.

"I conscionable got to spell and play my crippled and bash what I bash best. I don't request to bash everything."

The triumph sent the Jets into the 2nd circular of the Western Conference playoffs against the Dallas Stars, which begins Wednesday successful Winnipeg.

Jets defenceman Neal Pionk said Hellebuyck made a committedness to his teammates during intermission aft the Blues took a 3-1 pb with 35 seconds remaining successful the 2nd play of Game 7.

"He said they're not getting different 1 [goal]," Pionk recalled. "So erstwhile helium says thing similar that, helium believes it. And we believed him and we knew we had to get 2 much for him and past we're going to bash the remainder from there."

The Jets did conscionable that.

With Hellebuyck retired of the nett for the other attacker and conscionable implicit 3 minutes near successful the 3rd period, Vladislav Namestnikov scored with 1:56 remaining and Cole Perfetti tied it up with 3 seconds left.

"Getting into that OT, it was, 'I'm not going to fto these guys down,"' Hellebuyck said.

He stopped 4 shots successful the archetypal overtime and past 5 much earlier Jets skipper Adam Lowry had the puck bounce disconnected him past goalie Jordan Binnington for the series-clinching marker astatine 16:10 of the 2nd overtime.

"I don't privation to telephone it an awakening, but determination was decidedly a infinitesimal determination wherever I was capable to instrumentality my crippled to different level," Hellebuyck said. "And feeling that, it decidedly gives you immoderate momentum and immoderate assurance going into the adjacent round."

'It's a restart for me'

The Jets had jumped retired to a 2-0 pb successful the bid against the Blues, but the spread was closed aft St. Louis won its 3 location games.

Hellebuyck was pulled successful those roadworthy matches and replaced by Eric Comrie.

The goaltender from Commerce, Mich., had allowed six goals successful a 7-2 nonaccomplishment successful Game 3 and each the goals successful a 5-1 Game 4 defeat. In a instrumentality travel to St. Louis, helium was pulled aft the 2nd play erstwhile helium fto successful 5 goals successful what ended up being a 5-2 nonaccomplishment successful Game 6.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner, who's up for the apical goalie grant again and the Hart Trophy for league MVP this season, said helium felt similar helium was playing the puck well.

"And past atrocious bounces happened oregon breakdowns hap and you commencement chasing results a small spot and successful the backmost of your caput the results benignant of creep in," Hellebuyck said.

"It makes you wonder, is what you're doing enough? And that was the biggest happening this series, is what I'm doing enough?"

But helium feels the enactment from his teammates and calls it a "family maturation moment."

"I'm truly excited. It's a restart for me," Hellebuyck said. "Who cares astir what conscionable happened? We got done it, and moving guardant present I'm truly excited to enactment my champion ft guardant and bash my job."

Hellebuyck finished the St. Louis bid with a .830 prevention percent and 3.85 goals-against average, compared to .901 and 2.53 for Binnington.

Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger backstopped the Stars to the Game 7 triumph implicit the Colorado Avalanche successful their opening-round matchup. He has a .911 prevention percent and 2.85 goals-against average.