In Winnipeg, they call it “Vézina-Buyck.”
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who won his second Vezina Trophy last season, made 35 saves against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday for his third shutout of the campaign.
It was Hellebuyck’s 40th shutout in the National Hockey League.
“The number 40 feels really good,” admitted the 31-year-old American. This is one of those plateaus. Another plateau I would like to reach this season is 300 wins. I hope I can, it would be good. »
The one who currently has 285 victories in the Bettman circuit has also achieved two shutouts in a row for the first time in his career. He closed the door to the Utah hockey club on Tuesday.
Hellebuyck, who picked up his 10th victory in 11 starts this season, made several important saves in the third period against the Avalanche, who outshot the Jets 17-4. »
“Once you get into rhythm, you see everything that’s happening and you’re ahead of the game,” Hellebuyck said. The more throws you receive, the better you are. »
“That’s why I like to keep goal often, because it’s easier to keep the rhythm. You just have to be careful not to overdo it between meetings.”
It was the first duel between the Avalanche and the Jets since the latter lost in five games to Jared Bednar’s men in the first round of the playoffs last spring.
“It’s always nice to beat a section opponent, especially after our elimination last year,” admitted Gabriel Vilardi, who scored the only goal of the match. »
He gave credit for the victory to Hellebuyck, especially for his performance in the third period.
“It wasn’t our best game,” Vilardi said. (Hellebuyck) won this game for us. It’s that simple. I think we had a good first half and then after that we kind of lost our rhythm in the middle of the game. »
“We have the best goalkeeper in the world, but we can’t play like that and expect to win a lot of games. »
The Jets head coach downplayed the importance of avenging last season’s playoff loss, but felt Hellebuyck had proven he was at the top of his game.
“That he played the way he played, frustrating them one after the other and making great saves, that says it all,” he said. But we weren’t going to approach this match thinking of a rematch. That wasn’t it. It was one opponent among many in a very busy schedule. »
Bednar believes the Jets were motivated by this revenge.
“There’s a bit of history behind it,” he said. I’m sure these guys were frustrated with last year’s elimination and it was a big game for them. And for us. It was like a playoff game. »
