The Winnipeg Jets desperately need two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck to tighten things up if they want to get the upper hand on the visiting St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round series on Wednesday night.
Hellebuyck is confident he’ll play better, too. He surrendered 11 goals on 43 shots and getting replaced in the third period of back-to-back road losses in Games 3 and 4, which evened the series at 2-2.
“I am going to be better,” Hellebuyck told reporters on Monday. “I’ve studied goaltending extremely hard. I’ve probably studied the most out of anyone in this world, so I know what to do and how to get my best game. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to do. Time to bring it in Game 5.”
Hellebuyck led the NHL in wins (47), goals-against average (2.01) and was a narrow second in save percentage (.925) during the regular season. But in the playoffs, he owns the 17th-best GAA (4.24) and save percentage (.817) among goalies with at least two appearances this postseason.
Hellebuyck doesn’t foresee making any major changes to his preparation or mechanics.
“It would be crazy to go that many regular-season games and then all of a sudden switch something up in the playoffs,” he said. “You don’t win 47 games and then, come the playoffs, switch everything up. I know how it needs to look. I like a lot of things. I’m not going to go and make huge changes.
“That being said, I’m going to be better. That’s my job, and that’s the foot that I’m putting forward. I can’t be giving up this many goals.”
Winnipeg received some positive news in the form of forward Gabriel Vilardi expecting to make his return after being out with an upper-body injury since March 23. In his second year with the Jets, Vilardi posted career highs in goals (27), assists (34) and points (61) across 71 games.
As for the Blues, they plan to stick with their strategy against Hellebuyck, which is to shoot the puck at the net every chance they get and keep someone close by for a deflection or rebound.
“It’s playoffs,” Blues center Brayden Schenn said. “You have to win the net-front battle, you have to go to the net. Not even just our series, but look league-wide right now how pucks and goals are going in in the playoffs.”
St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington has been holding down his end, just as he did when he led Team Canada over the Hellebuyck and the United States in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
Binnington has the sixth-best GAA in the playoffs (2.29) and ninth-best save percentage (.907), both of which are better than his regular-season marks of 2.69 and .900.
“He’s making big saves when he needs to,” Schenn said. “When Binner’s on, he has the ability to read the play really well. I think he’s done a great job of that. Obviously, he’s made timely saves, key saves. He’s gotten better as the year’s gone on.”
St. Louis will be down a defenseman after Tyler Tucker left late in the third period of Game 4 with an apparent right leg injury.
“He’s been a big part of this team for a long time,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “He’s a great player, a great defender and we’re lucky to have him. Just hope everything is OK.”
With Tucker unable to play, expect veteran Ryan Suter to re-enter the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch in Games 3 and 4.
Suter played all 82 games during the regular season.
–Field Level Media
