Connor Hellebuyck steals ‘revenge game’, Winnipeg continues historic start: 3 takeaways

WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets have gone to great lengths to downplay the idea of ​​a rematch with Colorado on Thursday as revenge in the playoffs.

Neal Pionk, Adam Lowry and Scott Arniel all had plenty of opportunities to say, “Yeah, we’ve got that circled on the calendar. We’re still looking forward to the playoffs and want to prove we’re better than them.” All three Jets dodged reporters’ questions.

“It’s not a revenge game,” Lowry said. “We had to get over it.”

“Last season is over,” said Pionk. “We’re going to do things the same way today.”

“We’ve talked enough about what happened last spring,” Arniel said. “This is about what happens tonight.”

And then Winnipeg won its league-leading 13th game of the season against the team it dominated in the playoffs. Gabriel Vilardi scored the only goal 66 seconds into the game and Winnipeg looked good early on; The Jets were in survival mode in the third period. Colorado outscored Winnipeg 17-4 in the third period, stringing together dangerous transitions that showcased its all-too-familiar ability to shoot, win the puck and then open up a crease for a prime scoring opportunity.

Connor Hellebuyck found an answer to everything and stopped all 35 shots he faced. It was Hellebuyck’s second consecutive shutout and the 40th of his career.

“Bucky won the game for us. It’s that simple,” Vilardi said after the Jets’ 1-0 win.

What did we learn during Winnipeg’s win over the Jets? What will Arniel want to improve on before Saturday’s game against Dallas, the team that beat Colorado after Colorado rolled over Winnipeg?

The Jets may not say Thursday’s game was an attempt at retaliation, but they weren’t afraid to mention one name: their ambition.

“We know we have a championship team in this group,” Kyle Connor said Tuesday. “It’s not always a straight line up. You have to learn, you have to develop. You can see that here.”

Anyone familiar with Jets history knows the cautionary tales. Winnipeg’s hot starts failed in 2018-19, 2022-23 and again in 2023-24. In all three seasons, Winnipeg led the Western Conference heading into the new year, while last season’s Jets led the league in January. In all three seasons, Winnipeg was outplayed and eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Are the 13-1-0 Jets real? Can we believe in them? It may sound absurd to ask these questions about a 13-1-0 team, but Jets fans’ expectations have been dashed before.

Here are the answers we found in Winnipeg’s 1-0 win over Colorado on Thursday.

Connor Hellebuyck remains great and drives away playoff demons

If you look back at the tape from Colorado’s five-game win over Winnipeg last April, you might have a hard time attributing all 24 goals to the Jets’ goaltender. I suspect that an emotionless second look would free Hellebuyck from the avalanche of criticism that overwhelmed him at the time.

No matter how you judge his playoff performance, the loss still stung Hellebuyck — and it made his 35-save shutout shine even brighter.

It’s back to back @pepsi Shutouts for Connor Hellebuyck! 🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/i5mOQfsSE3

– NHL (@NHL) November 8, 2024

If you look at the Jets’ season with the thought of finding flaws, you can find them. They have largely played against mediocre teams and have posted a 3-1 record against clubs that made the 2023-24 playoffs. They scored a ton of goals in six-on-five situations and won all three games in overtime. Toronto dominated them in their first real test, while Colorado did the same for much of Thursday’s Jets win.

But here’s the thing. Goalkeepers are allowed to steal games. And if you look at the Jets’ roster and guess how good their goaltending will be, the answer is still “phenomenal.”

“I thought the guys in front of me played really hard,” Hellebuyck said. “They let me see pucks, rebounds cleared and goals. We really committed to our game in our defensive zone. It might not have been pretty, but that’s why every game is a team effort.”

It wasn’t pretty. Beating 17-4 in one round while relying on Hellebuyck’s high point isn’t sustainable.

But that’s not the story of the season. Winnipeg has the sixth-highest shooting percentage at five-on-five while the score is tied, suggesting the Jets aren’t acting as goaltenders alone. Having often led, Winnipeg is designed to absorb some desperate pushes from other teams, and Winnipeg’s goaltenders were there every step of the way.

Scott Arniel isn’t afraid to manage Ehlers-Scheifele-Vilardi

Mark Scheifele set up the only goal of the game with a perfect pass to Vilardi. He also made a number of tough plays, including a forecheck in the first period that caused Cale Makar to give up the puck. Connor shot three times and made several dangerous plays in the offensive zone. But Colorado dominated the third period. And on the shift where Colorado hit its seventh and eighth shots, Connor and Scheifele continued to give the Avalanche the puck.

First it was Connor who stole it from defender Sam Malinski, only to give it right back. Scheifele stole the ball again just two seconds later, but promptly missed it, leading to a shot from Logan O’Connor.

“There were a lot of them,” Arniel said. “We had the puck and didn’t make the right decision. And there were a lot of areas on the ice.”

So Arniel stepped in. Nikolaj Ehlers was promoted to the top while Connor was relegated to play with Cole Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov. Suddenly, Winnipeg had life: Namestnikov stole a puck and created a long two-on-one chance with Connor. Scheifele found substitute Mason Appleton, who produced a stunning deke before setting up Ehlers with a perfect pass across the goal area.

My aim is not to criticize a top team that has scored a lot of goals recently, even in the five-on-five system, where there are sometimes problems. It’s about praising the head coach for recognizing that Scheifele’s trio had momentarily lost their bearings, doing something about it and openly acknowledging the challenge in his post-game comments.

I was impressed by Arniel’s commitment to approaching the process honestly – which was often great – and I think this bodes well for the sustainability of Winnipeg’s success. Connor in particular made a lot of good defensive plays, even on nights when the line struggled. He and Scheifele will work magic again. Meanwhile, Arniel noted early in his tenure that Winnipeg has other options and will pursue them when he decides the time is right.

Such starts do not guarantee playoff success

Winnipeg stands on the threshold of history. The Jets are already one of two teams in NHL history to have won 13 of their first 14 games. If they beat Dallas on Saturday, they would be the only team to begin a season with wins in 14 of their first 15 games.

So what happened to the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators, who won 13 of their first 14 games but then lost to Washington in Game 15?

Everything happened, that’s what.

The first sign that something was wrong was the seven-game losing streak in November and December, but the Senators recovered. They had just played in the 2007 Stanley Cup Final and were still led by Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. All three players were named to the 2008 All-Star Game along with head coach John Paddock, recognizing their continued success.

But Heatley was injured, goalkeeper Ray Emery was fined for missing a practice in New York City, and Ottawa collapsed.

The Senators played poorly in January and February and released Paddock a month after his All-Star appearance. Although Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore added playoff experience at the trade deadline, Ottawa struggled so badly down the stretch that it needed three points from its final three games to qualify for the playoffs – and lost the first of those three games.

The Senators ultimately qualified for the playoffs, but lost in four straight games to Sidney Crosby’s upstart Penguins.

What does it all mean?

Winnipeg is at full strength due to its 13-1-0 start. The Jets dominated games, prevailed on power plays, won in overtime and beat Colorado with spectacular goaltending.

This is still the ultimate “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” scenario for a team that has struggled in the second half of back-to-back seasons. Through 14 games, Arniel focused on Winnipeg’s process rather than its results, and he was right. The Jets could play .500 hockey from here to the postseason and still secure a playoff spot. They’ll probably be much better – and it’s not fair to criticize them for not winning games they haven’t played yet.

But Dallas brings a new challenge, as do back-to-back games against Florida next week. We know these jets have been historically successful; We’re still learning what kind of team the Jets can be against the NHL elite.

(Photo: James Carey Lauder / Imagn Images)