Hellebuyck stopped 26 of 31 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Avalanche in Game 5.
The Avalanche took over in the third period, leaving Hellebuyck with a fourth straight loss to end the Jets' playoff run after one round. The 30-year-old gave up 24 goals in five appearances in the playoffs, a dramatically worse performance than he showed with a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage over 60 regular-season games. Hellebuyck was announced as a Vezina Trophy finalist this week for his regular-season work, but he'll likely want to forget the postseason quickly in preparation for 2024-25.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Gets starting nod
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Hellebuyck will guard the home crease against Colorado in Game 5 on Tuesday, per Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.
Hellebuyck has lost three straight games, so he and the Jets will be facing elimination Tuesday. He's recorded a sub-par .870 save percentage and has allowed 13 goals in that span. Hellebuyck has yet to log a save percentage above .872 in any of the first four games of the series -- he'll likely need to be better in Game 5 in order for Winnipeg to have a chance to force Game 6.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Three consecutive losses
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Hellebuyck gave up four goals on 30 shots in Sunday's 5-1 Game 4 loss to the Avalanche. He was pulled after the second period.
Two of the four goals against Hellebuyck came on the power play. He was relieved of his duties after the second frame Sunday for backup Laurent Brossoit. Hellebuyck has now allowed 19 goals on 131 shots in the first-round series, which the Jets trail 3-1. In order for the Jets to make a comeback in the series, they need Hellebuyck to get back to his Vezina-caliber ways. Winnipeg will host Colorado in Game 5 on Tuesday.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Guarding goal in Game 4
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Hellebuyck will guard the road goal in Game 4 versus Colorado on Sunday, per Tracey Myers of NHL.com.
Hellebuyck has surrendered 15 goals on 116 shots for an .871 save percentage in three playoff outings versus the Avalanche. He has lost his last two starts after winning the series opener. The Jets need a victory in Sunday's contest to take home-ice advantage back ahead of Tuesday's Game 5.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Falters again in Game 3
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Hellebuyck allowed five goals on 39 shots in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 3. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.
Hellebuyck has now surrendered 15 goals on 116 shots over the last three games. The 30-year-old will likely need to get his game back to his regular-season form soon in order for the Jets to have a chance to fend off the Avalanche, who now lead the series 2-1. There's little reason to think Hellebuyck won't get the chance to play out of his slump, so expect him between the pipes for Game 4 on Sunday.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Between pipes Friday
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Hellebuyck will defend the road crease in Colorado for Game 3 on Friday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.
Hellebuyck struggled in the opening two games of the series, allowing 10 goals on 77 shots. Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Colorado snapped Hellebuyck's six-game winning streak. He was 37-19-4 with a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 60 regular-season appearances. The Avalanche have had no problem finding the back of the net thus far, they'll hope to continue that trend as the series shifts to Colorado for Games 3 and 4.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Loses Game 2
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Hellebuyck allowed four goals on 31 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 2.
Hellebuyck's six-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday, resulting in the Jets' first-round playoff series being tied at 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 ahead in Denver on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The 30-year-old has allowed 10 goals on 77 shots so far against the Avalanche, so he'll need to tighten things up on the road to keep the Jets competitive.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Set to start Tuesday
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Hellebucyk is slated to be between the home pipes for Game 2 against the Avalanche on Tuesday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.
Hellebuyck is riding a six-game winning streak, which includes a crucial victory in the series opener despite giving up six goals on 46 shots (.870 save percentage). Considering the 30-year-old goalie is the heavy favorite to take home the Vezina Trophy as the league's top netminder, there is little chance of him being dropped from the starting role as long as the Jets are in the playoffs.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Survives high-scoring Game 1
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Hellebuyck stopped 40 of 46 shots in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Avalanche in Game 1.
Hellebuyck was twice as busy as his Colorado counterpart Alexandar Georgiev, but the Jets' offense was more opportunistic. Hellebuyck allowed four or more goals in just 10 of his 60 regular-season appearances, posting a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage in a Vezina-caliber campaign. The 30-year-old will need more stability from his defense to avoid turning every game into a track meet versus the Avalanche. Game 2 is Tuesday in Winnipeg.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Sitting Thursday
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Hellebuyck (rest) will sit out Thursday's regular-season finale at home against Vancouver, per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Hellebuyck was solid in his last start, stopping 20 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Seattle. The 30-year-old had a spectacular regular season, recording a .921 save percentage and a 37-19-4 record in 60 appearances. He can be penciled in as the starter for Game 1 of Winnipeg's first-round series versus Colorado.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Wins over Kraken
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Hellebuyck stopped 20 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Kraken.
Hellebuyck has won five games in a row, allowing a total of 10 goals in that span. The Kraken kept it close throughout, but the Jets' offense was just good enough. Hellebuyck improved to 37-19-4 with a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage. The Jets haven't announced their plans, but they are locked into second place in the Central Division, so Laurent Brossoit may get the nod versus the Canucks on Thursday if head coach Rick Bowness thinks Hellebuyck would benefit from some rest.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Blanks Avs for big win
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Hellebuyck turned aside all 30 shots he faced in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Avalanche.
The Jets scored four times in the first period alone, and Hellebuyck took care of the rest to get the team one step closer to locking up the No. 2 seed in the Central Division. The shutout was the fifth of the season for the 30-year-old goalie, while the victory was his fourth straight. Hellebuyck's 36 wins put him one back of the career high he set in 2022-23, and he remains the odds-on favorite to take home his second Vezina Trophy, sitting third in GAA (2.38) and first in save percentage (.922).
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Starting in Colorado
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Hellebuyck will guard the road goal versus the Avalanche on Saturday, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Hellebuyck has been fantastic over the past week, going 3-0-0 while posting an admirable 2.31 GAA and .935 save percentage. He'll try to secure his 36th victory of the season in a brutal road matchup with a Colorado team that's gone an eye-popping 30-8-1 at home this year.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Makes 45 saves in OT win
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Hellebuyck stopped 45 of 48 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime victory over the Predators.
Hellebuyck was stellar Tuesday, allowing just one goal on 36 shots through the first two periods. However, Nashville broke through with a pair of goals in the third to force overtime before Kyle Connor scored the game-winner in the extra frame, giving Hellebuyck a third straight win -- he's allowed six goals on 108 shots in that span. Overall, the 30-year-old netminder is 35-19-4 with a .920 save percentage and 2.42 GAA on the season. The Jets are back in action Thursday on the road in Dallas.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Starting Tuesday
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Hellebuyck will start Tuesday on the road against Nashville, per Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.
Hellebuyck stopped 25 of 27 shots in his last start against Minnesota on Saturday in a 4-2 win. The 30-year-old has been exceptional this season, recording a .920 save percentage and a 19-4-4 record in 57 appearances. He'll try to extend his personal winning streak to three games in a road matchup with a Predators squad that's 22-16-1 at home this year.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Class of his own
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Hellebuyck made 25 saves in a 4-2 win over Minnesota on Saturday.
Kirill Kaprizov beat him twice, but that was it. Hellebuyck is the heart of the Jets and in a class of his own in the NHL. He has the third-best GAA (2.41) and second-best save percentage (.920) among qualified netminders this season. With the postseason approaching, Hellebuyck is also poised to pass Georges Vezina as the only goalie in NHL history to claim each of his franchise's first 18+ playoff wins. In fact, he's one of just four goalies in NHL history with all of a franchise's (Jets/Thrashers) postseason victories.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Slated to start
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Hellebuyck will defend the visiting goal versus Minnesota on Saturday.
Hellebuyck snapped a five-game losing streak Thursday, turning aside 31 shots in a 5-2 win over Calgary. Hellebuyck is having an outstanding season, as he is 33-19-4 with four shutouts, a 2.42 GAA and a .920 save percentage. Minnesota sits 22nd in NHL scoring this campaign, finding the back of the net on 226 occasions.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Sharp in Thursday's win
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Hellebuyck stopped 31 of 33 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Flames.
Hellebuyck ended his personal five-game losing streak with a strong showing that clinched a playoff spot for the Jets. The 30-year-old has had few slumps this season, which made his recent cold spell all the more surprising. Overall, he's at 33-19-4 with a 2.42 GAA and a .920 save percentage over 56 starts. The Jets still have playoff positioning to play for over the last two weeks of the regular season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Hellebuyck get a little rest, which would allow Laurent Brossoit to get some additional playing time. The Jets begin a four-game road trip Saturday in Minnesota.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Facing Flames
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Hellebuyck will be between the home pipes Thursday versus Calgary, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Hellebuyck is 0-4-1 in his last five starts, allowing 17 goals on 139 shots (.878 save percentage). Overall, Hellebuyck is 32-19-4 with four shutouts, a 2.42 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He has had trouble against the Flames this season, losing both of his appearances versus Calgary while giving up nine goals on 54 shots.
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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Handed fifth straight loss
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Hellebuyck allowed three goals on 27 shots in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Senators.
With the contest tied 2-2 late in the third period and seemingly heading to overtime, Brady Tkachuk scored on the power play for the game-winning goal to give Hellebuyck five consecutive losses. The Jets have struggled to score during his losing streak, but Hellebuyck has only posted a save percentage above .900 twice during that stretch. Winnipeg has confirmed that Laurent Brossoit will be between the pipes for Monday's home clash with the Kings.
