What do you do when your star goalie’s struggling so bad that it’s got NHL legends ranting? You dig deep, you introspect, and that’s exactly what Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets did. After a brutal Game 6 in St. Louis where Hellebuyck was yanked in the third period, giving up five goals on 23 shots, the doubters were loud.
Retired NHL goalie Andrew Raycroft didn’t hold back, tweeting, “I played a bunch of shitty games in the NHL but this Hellebuyck situation is bananas.” Ouch. But Hellebuyck and Jets coach Scott Arniel, alongside goalie coach Wade Flaherty, weren’t about to let that define their playoff run. In a heart-pounding 4-3 double-overtime win against the St. Louis Blues, Hellebuyck flipped the script. Shaky start? Sure. But he locked it down, stopping all 13 shots in the third period and both overtime frames. That’s clutch.
This wasn’t just any game—it was an instant-classic Game 7. And for Hellebuyck, it was personal. Just 73 days earlier, he faced off against Blues’ Jordan Binnington in a #4Nations Face-Off overtime battle. Tonight, Hellebuyck got the last word, outdueling Binnington and proving the doubters wrong with a performance that screamed redemption. The Jets move on, and Hellebuyck’s back in the spotlight—for all the right reasons.
73 days ago, these two goaltenders squared off in OT in #4Nations Face-Off with pride of country on the line.
Tonight, Connor Hellebuyck got the best of Jordan Binnington – and redemption from a very shaky series.
Survive and advance. Somehow.#GoJetsGo will host #TexasHockey
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 5, 2025
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