Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets return home to have the opportunity to turn the script in their recent playoff disappointments and the demons that have followed them this spring.
The best regular NHL-NHL season jets receive St. Louis Blues from the eighth west conference in game 7 of his round trip series on Sunday night. It is the final game of the first round, which Winnipeg has been knocked out in the previous two years and is in danger of happening again, with Hellebuyck again directly at the Care Center After being persecuted in the three defeats of his team.
“A confrontation of a game: that is what it is, not just Connor,” said coach Scott Arniel after Lost game 6 In St. Louis 5-2 on Friday. “It’s what we do as a group … And you know what, I have a lot of confidence in our group, not only Helly. I have a lot of confidence in our group. You want a hockey game, you move to the next round.”
Hellebuyck, probably the winner of the time trophy as the best goalkeeper of the League for a second consecutive season and third time in his career and finalist for Hart as MVP, has an average of 4.42 goals against and a saving percentage of .815. He had some of the best numbers in the NHL in those categories during the regular season, 2.00 and .925.
The home/road difference has been marked. Hellebuyck and the Jets are 3-0 in the provincial capital of Manitoba, and has allowed 2.33 goals per game with a .879 savings percentage. To the south of the border between the United States and Canada in St. Louis, a game with a .758 savings percentage is allowing 7.24.
The good news for the jets is that they obtained ice at home in game 7 with their regular stellar season, during which Hellebuyck was a great reason why they ended on the classification.
“I don’t need to talk about Bucky: Bucky has been phenomenal for us all year, and he has continued to do that,” said Alero Nikolaj Ehlers, who returned from an injury at play in game 6. “We have to be better. We know when we play in the right way, we play well, we do the right readings, we are a really good team and we have shown that in this series.”
Blues have also shown that they can hang with Winnipeg, exceeding 24-17 winning explosions and losing close. None of that matters if they lose another tight along the way.
“It is what we have all dreamed in in that organization, in that costumes together,” said coach Jim Montgomery, whose Arrival at the end of November Just out of being fired by Boston, the way for the change of the team. “It’s about taking an opportunity. It is an opportunity that we have won, and now we have to go to seize it.”
His goalkeeper also has great game experience, recently included against Hellebuyck in a gigantic stage. Jordan Binnington was brilliant in helping Canada beat Hellebuyck in the final of the 4 nations confrontation in February, and his performance in his last game 7, in the final in 2019, gave St. Louis his first Stanley Cup title.
“He is our guy, he is a special human and gets up for the great moments,” said Captain Brayden Schenn.
Outside the network, blues are taken to score by Cam Fowler, who has already Establish the franchise record For points in a series of a defender with 10. Fowler, who has been perfect since he joined An Anaheim trade In December, he believes that he and his teammates understand what they need to do so that the series annoyed.
“We know that the situation we are entering, the team we are playing against, the season they had and play very well at ice at home,” Fowler said. “Game 7, is a great opportunity for both teams, so we look forward to the challenge.”
___
AP Freelance David Solomon in St. Louis contributed to this report.
___
AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
