this story<\/a>, two years ago. He shared that the leading practice for getting over tough times when he was a kid was to \u201ctough it out.\u201d As an adult, he can appreciate that toughing things out is a skill, but that it\u2019s just one of many \u2014 that it\u2019s his job to know when to tough it out and when to reach out to his mentors, like goaltending coach Wade Flaherty.<\/p>\nThat\u2019s what he did last year after getting pulled in Game 4 against Colorado.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like a flood of emotions I had suppressed all series long and that was the realization: that I can\u2019t do this alone,\u201d Hellebuyck said last May. \u201cI\u2019m not saying that I needed to do it alone. That was my mindset: I needed to do this alone. That was the realization that I need to be part of this team more than I am, and to take everything onto my shoulders \u2026 I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the right way to go about playoffs anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hellebuyck walked back those comments at training camp, saying he\u2019d thought about it but realized he was approaching the game the right way. He was asked about his mentality again before Round 1 against St. Louis.<\/p>\n
Had he changed his mindset to focus more on the Jets\u2019 team game instead of putting everything on his shoulders?<\/p>\n
\u201cI scrapped that real fast. I\u2019m not saying that I am putting everything on my shoulders but my goal throughout my entire career is to go out and get a shutout every single night,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is what makes me me, that is what I feed off, and I\u2019m going to continue to do that because I know that gives this team the best chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
It seems fair to add a caveat here: It is difficult to know which elements of a player\u2019s mindset do or don\u2019t contribute to their success. The parts of Hellebuyck that make him\u00a0him have clearly led to an incredible hockey player. When he wins his second-straight Vezina Trophy, it will be deserved \u2014 and he deserves his votes for the Hart Trophy, too.\u00a0But the contrast between Hellebuyck feeling like he needs to pursue a shutout every night and his playoff results is striking. It\u2019s as though he came to the precipice of a great lesson when heartbroken by last year\u2019s playoffs devastation, and then backed away from the edge.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the kind of attitude that defines a player\u2019s greatness when they win championships, but haunts them if they fail.<\/p>\n
There is good news on that front. The Jets have not, in fact, failed. They have the opportunity to win Game 7 on Sunday at home where they\u2019ve won three times this series. Their most recent game at Canada Life Centre was their best defensive game of the series. They limited scoring chances, trapped St. Louis in the corners, and won a far greater share of the battles in front of the net than they did in St. Louis. Their preparation was on point \u2014 multiple players credited the Jets\u2019 pregame video sessions as a source of the win \u2014 and their execution matched it.<\/p>\n
It is unfortunate that Hellebuyck\u2019s results have let the air out of that story. Multiple players called Winnipeg\u2019s Game 6 loss a case of self-inflicted wounds \u2014 and they were right \u2014 but the need for improvement in net is more striking than Winnipeg\u2019s other errors. There were giveaways, bad coverage, and poorly timed line changes that compounded to give St. Louis great scoring chances.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s self-inflicted,\u201d Nikolaj Ehlers said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just lost our game for four or five minutes,\u201d Cole Perfetti said.<\/p>\n
Those are exactly the kinds of stretches when a big save can swing a game. Hellebuyck has made some of those saves; Jordan Binnington has made more.<\/p>\n
But Arniel maintained his focus on the team at large.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shot ourselves in the foot \u2026 We were playing a really strong game and it swung, just like Game 4. You hope you learn from it the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arniel isn\u2019t faultless either. While he\u2019s had a good series in terms of responding to Jim Montgomery\u2019s systemic adjustments, Arniel\u2019s third pairing of Logan Stanley and Schenn is getting badly exposed \u2014 particularly on the road. Schenn has been the biggest issue: he\u2019s been outshot 22-10 and outscored 7-0 at five-on-five during three games in St. Louis. The Jets got better results from almost every version of their third pair this season, including various combinations of Stanley, Haydn Fleury, and Colin Miller. Even the seldom-used Ville Heinola boasts better results than Schenn is right now.<\/p>\n
Arniel was right about a lot of things, though.<\/p>\n
Game 7 will be a battle of stars vs. stars, role players vs. role players, special teams, defensive zone coverage and all of the things Arniel said it would be. Despite Arniel\u2019s speech, Game 7 will also be about his starting goaltender \u2014 who happens to be the single biggest bet upon which Winnipeg\u2019s Stanley Cup window is built.<\/p>\n
The results of one game in the first round of a playoff series don\u2019t usually define a player\u2019s postseason legacy. For Connor Hellebuyck, Game 7 against St. Louis will come close. Winnipeg was too good all season \u2014 with Hellebuyck as a driving force \u2014 for the Jets to let Game 7 slip away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of confidence in our group,\u201d Arniel said. \u201cNot just Helly, I have a lot of confidence in our group. You win one hockey game, you move onto the next round.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Photo of Connor Hellebuyck: Dilip Vishwanat \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n