Rewards would be nice, but Hellebuyck is glad the Jets played well

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Connor Hellebuyck is the frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender this season, and if his Winnipeg Jets can continue their stifling hockey against the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks this week, he could have his name on another league award. .

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Hellebuyck and the Jets have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL this season (193), three fewer than the Florida Panthers (196).

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The Panthers have just one game remaining — Tuesday night against NHL scoring leader Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs — and the Jets have two, so the race for the William Jennings Trophy (fewest goals allowed by a team) could be over in no time. to the wire.

The Jets aren't focused on the award — their focus is on getting at least one point against Seattle on Tuesday night and cementing home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs — but Hellebuyck wants to see his team rewarded. to stick to the defensive structure throughout the season.

“I've always looked at it as a team award,” Hellebuyck said Monday after extra practice at the Canadian Life Centre.

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“The guys worked hard for it. It would be great to be a part of them. I think (Laurent Brossoit) is as much a part of it as I am. I don't know if we will win if he makes his name. I don't think he's there, but he definitely deserves to be there.”

A goalkeeper needs to play at least 25 games to get his name on the trophy, and Brossoit, who has had a superb season as Hellbükk's back-up, is missing.

Although he had flashy numbers – 14-5-2 record, 2.00 GAA, .928 save percentage, three shutouts – Brossoit played just 22 games.

He's been as good as Hellebuyck, sometimes even better, and the star goaltender is the No. 1 reason the Jets have a 50-24-6 record and 106 points with two games left in the season.

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It's never looked better than in the last two games, when the Jets beat the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche by a combined 10-0, with every goalie getting a shutout along the way.

“I think it just speaks to our plays and our team play,” Hellebuyck said.

“The guys in front of us have played great in those games and our pieces have been really good. And (Brossoit) and I have a very similar style, and when we're bouncing ideas off each other, we're the same there. So to do it in back-to-back fashion is a testament to both of us.”

Many consider Hellebuyck to be a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy. The NHL's 32 general managers will vote for the award, which Hellebeck previously won in 2020.

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This season, he has a 36-19-4 record, a 2.38 GAA and a .922 save percentage to go along with five shutouts. His save percentage is the best among all NHL starting goaltenders and his GAA is the third best.

While he's certainly benefited from the Jets playing a much better defensive game than in years past, he's still second in the league in saves (1,636), has some steals, and rarely has a night off.

Like everyone else on the team, he slipped a bit when the Jets were going through a six-game losing streak late last month, but in his last five games, he's allowed just 10 goals and has a .942 save percentage.

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“During that stretch (when) we hadn't won a lot of games, we were all like, 'What can I do differently?' We searched for it in our games. – said Hellebak.

“Then we had a really good video session, and instead of the guys being mad at themselves or mad at each other, it was like a monkey on our back. 'Oh, we're doing it wrong. This is where we have to do things differently.'

“At least that's how it was for me, and it's been smooth sailing ever since.”

The Jets are 6-0 since the stretch ended and are on the verge of locking up second place in the Central Division, allowing them to start a best-of-seven first-round series at home against Colorado, possibly next Monday. .

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In hindsight, it's probably best that the Jets get back to playing their best hockey as the playoffs begin.

“I don't think you can look at one team in this league and say they had a great season,” Hellebuyck said. “You always have ups and downs. The playoffs are one of those things where you want to be hot at the right time. I've been in the league long enough to know and feel it.

“We went to St. Louis (in 2019) and we had a really good team and they got hot at the right time. See what they did. Our main focus right now is on ourselves. Feel right and don't lose it.”

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