Once again, Hellebuyck is untouchable as the Jets defeat the Avalanche 3-0.
Mark Scheifele scored the other goal for the Jets, while Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice, including one into an empty net.
On Saturday, Connor Hellebuyck took center stage once more, but the Winnipeg Jets’ goalie had a solid supporting cast as they blanked the Colorado Avalanche 3-0. Hellebuyck recorded his 43rd career shutout and NHL-high sixth of the season with 22 saves. It was also his 301st career victory (301-179-43) and his league-high 25th of the season.
When he said that Hellebuyck “had an easy night,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel grinned before giving his goalkeeper the credit he so well earned.
Arniel advised, “Never, ever disparage a guy who receives a shutout.” He had to stop, after all. They were attempting to get their [shot] volume, and he knew it. “And getting into shot lanes is another thing we did a great job of tonight. We were really successful in preventing all of those pucks from reaching the net front. But he’s there when things happen.
In the second period of Saturday’s 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor celebrate Scheifele’s lone goal. (The Canadian Press/John Woods)
After defeating the Nashville Predators 5-2 this week, Hellebuyck became the third-fastest NHL goalie to achieve 300 victories in his 538th regular-season game. Jacques Plante, with 521 games played, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, with 490, are the only other goalies to reach the milestone more quickly. The Jets (29-12-3) are 2-1-2 in their eight-game homestand, with Mark Scheifele scoring the other goal and Nikolaj Ehlers scoring twice, including one into an empty net.
Hellebuyck earned the shutout thanks to Winnipeg’s defensive effort, which denied Colorado several scoring opportunities.
The visitors were outshot 12–5 in the second period after putting up 10 shots on goal in the first. In the third, the Avs used a power play with three shots that Hellebuyck blocked to tilt the scales 7–6 in their favor. Colorado blocked nine shots, while Winnipeg blocked eighteen. Additionally, the Avalanche only prevailed in 39.1% of faceoffs.
“They’re going to get a few chances against a team like that,” Ehlers stated. “I think we kept that number very low today, so we’re happy with that.”
Since April 13 of last year, Hellebuyck has shut out the Avalanche in three straight regular-season games, most recently on November 7. The combination of Hellebuyck and Winnipeg’s defense was recognized by Colorado head coach Jared Bednar.
The combination of Hellebuyck and Winnipeg’s defense was recognized by Colorado head coach Jared Bednar. Bednar remarked, “It was rock solid,” “We started out a little soft and they scored that early goal, but we kind of picked it up a little bit in the second half of the first period [which] I appreciate. That’s one thing you can’t do.
However, once you catch them, it’s difficult enough to try to identify the offender, and now they’re digging in. We simply didn’t seem to have the stamina or resolve to sort of get through some of their checking. We had a few chances. We made a thorough inspection. Even though we put in a lot of effort, we were unable to score tonight. With 26 shots stopped by Mackenzie Blackwood, Colorado (26-17-1) ended a three-game road trip with a 1-2-0 record.
Blackwood praised the Jets for their tight defense. “They don’t give you a lot of chances so you know it’s going to be a close game and another close one today.” At 1:08 in the first period, Ehlers sent a high shot past Blackwood’s glove side, giving Winnipeg a 1-0 lead.
Twice in the second half, Kyle Connor came close to giving the Jets a two-goal advantage. Blackwood stopped his close-in, low shot on a breakaway, and a minute later, his backhand shot struck a post.
At 15:53, however, Scheifele scored his team-leading 25th goal of the season after Connor set him up with a short ball to the open side of the net. With 57 seconds left, Ehlers notch his empty-net marker. He gave Hellebuyck a tip as well. According to Ehlers, “Bucky is the best, there’s no way around it,”