The Blues registered just 17 shots on goal last night in what was a halfhearted effort to get the best of Jets goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. That’s bad news, considering how poorly Hellebuyck fares in the playoffs.
If you want to know why the Jets choke when the postseason arrives, you can point to the perennial Vezina Trophy contender for all the proof you need. Hellebuyck’s play when the stakes rise is marginal at best, and outright awful in a worst-case scenario. It’s almost like he’s an entirely different goaltender, and it’s rather fitting for the hard-luck organization that is the Winnipeg Jets, dating back to their Atlanta Thrashers days.
Take his last two playoff series, and you’ll find that Hellebuyck is 2-8-0 in that span, with 42 goals allowed and an 0.875 save percentage. Last night, he didn’t look any better, having allowed three goals on 17 shots. For the Blues, the message should be all clear: Double your shot output, and make Hellebuyck work in front of the net.
The Jets have the better team, but their best player is a liability
Over his past 10 starts before Saturday night’s game, Connor Hellebuyck has proven he’s a massive liability. And if the Jets have an off-night offensively, the Blues need to take advantage. Last night, it took Winnipeg a while before they got the sticks going, and the Blues held up well defensively for the most part.
It was a golden opportunity they let slip away, and with the playoff series starting in Winnipeg, it also denied the Blues a chance to take away home-ice advantage. Now, the Jets have played well at home and on the road, but for the Blues fanbase that hasn’t seen a playoff matchup over the past two seasons, you can bet all of Arch City will be rooting hard.
So, how can the Blues prevent another golden opportunity from slipping through the cracks? For one, they need to take more shots from the blue line. Even if nobody’s home directly in front of the net, take those shots, and let Hellebuyck know that the puck’s coming in from all angles. For another, if there’s an opening, find ways to feed the puck to your best forward.
Blues must shoot early and often in Game 2 and beyond
I got three words for the Blues: Set the tone. Set the tone, set the tone, set the tone. I can’t stress that enough. And logging two shots on net in one period was a byproduct from such passive play when they had puck possession earlier in the contest.
In a way, they gave Hellebuyck and the Jets the game by failing to exploit what’s been the goaltender’s major weakness for a while now. This is a very beatable Presidents’ Trophy team, considering Hellebuyck’s stagnant-at-best play when he’s manning the net. And considering how poorly Presidents’ Trophy winners have fared in recent history, this is a golden opportunity for the Blues.