Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would tell you himself, a Hart Trophy is cool, but the Stanley Cup is his only aspiration.
As as been his mantra since earning his first Vezina Trophy following the 2019-20 NHL season, the now 31-year-old backstop is keen on being the last team standing.
So far this season, he has been the last man standing on the Jets’ last line of defence, and has performed exceptionally.
Most have Hellebuyck slotted in for his third Vezina Trophy, and second in a row.
Again, he wants to prove his doubters wrong with a strong postseason performance for the team that has essentially led the league in a wire-to-wire fashion this year.
Winnipeg is 51-20-4 on the year, good for 106 points in 75 total games played. The Jets are the only team to have hit the 50-win mark, and sit No. 1 league-wide in terms of points, point percentage and regulation/overtime wins.
But on flip side of things, Winnipeg started very hot, setting a league record for the best 15-game start to a season, before cooling off just a touch as the year has progressed. Injuries and personnel choices have caught up with the Jets, who sit just one point above Washington for first-place, and just four points over Dallas for first in the Central Division.
With three of the league’s top-five teams coming from the same division Winnipeg calls home, the Jets’ final seven contests will carry significant weight.
Having begun their recent three-game west coast road trip with a difficult 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings – to which the Jets went 0-3 against on the season – a rebound vs. Vegas on Thursday night will be critical to the team’s final standings placement. But the 45-21-8 Golden Knights are no pushover either.
Through his 58 games this season, Hellebuyck sits atop the leaderboards in all four major goaltending statistic categories. His 43 wins are seven better than the second-place Andrei Vasilevskiy. While his 2.02 goals against average, .924 save percentage and seven shutouts narrowly top the charts in the other areas.
Only two goaltenders have ever finished first in all four categories in NHL history, and they both went on to win the Stanley Cup in their respective record-setting years (Jacques Plante – 1958-59, Bernie Parent – 1973-74 Flyers).
“We know what we have,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel. “He’s a special goalie, and he can win hockey games for you. He’s such a prepared guy, just how he goes about his business, whether it’s practices and games. He doesn’t like to get scored on. And he really wants to be the best.”
Hellebuyck has also become just the third goaltender since the 2000-01 season to put up multiple 43+ win seasons (Martin Brodeur, Evgeni Nabokov).
Should he continue playing through the remainder of Winnipeg’s seven games, Hellebuyck will have the opportunity to break his own personal wins record (44) and even challenge for a place among the all-time leaders (NHL-record 48 wins).
Sure, Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl is having himself a strong season (51 goals and 105 points, great goal scorers come along every year. A season like this one from a goaltender happens once in a blue moon.
The last time it occurred? Carey Price in 2014-15.
His stats?
44-16-6 with a 1.96 goals against average, a .933 save percentage and nine shutouts to his name.
No, Hellebuyck will not catch those numbers, but as is the case with inflation these days, goals are easier to come by in era-adjusted scoring. So Hellebuyck’s numbers actually would reflect very similar to those of Price’s.
“We think he should be in the Hart Trophy conversation,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “It’s very rare you see a goalie there, not since Carey Price and I think he should be.”
Again, his eyes are not on a Vezina Trophy, a Hart Trophy, a Jennings Trophy, or even a first-place finish.
Connor Hellebuyck wants the Stanley Cup. And that fire will not be tamed.
Read the full article here