Jets keen to lean on solid defence, Hellebuyck

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This article was published 11/01/2025 (250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – Connor Hellebuyck stepped into the limelight again on Saturday, but the Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender had a strong supporting cast in a 3-0 blanking of the Colorado Avalanche.

Hellebuyck made 22 saves to register his NHL-leading sixth shutout of the season and 43rd of his career. It was also his league-leading 25th win of the season and 301st of his career (301-179-43).

Jets head coach Scott Arniel smiled when saying Hellebuyck “had an easy night,” but then gave his goalie the praise he deserved.

“Never, ever discredit a guy that gets a shutout,” Arniel said. “I mean he had to make stops. He knew that they were trying to get their (shot) volume.

“And that’s another thing we did a really good job of tonight, was get in shot lanes. We did a really good job of making sure that not all those pucks got to the net front. But when stuff happens, he’s there.”

This week already saw Hellebuyck became the third-fastest NHL netminder to reach 300 wins in his 538th regular-season game after a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. The only other goaltenders to accomplish the milestone faster are Andrei Vasilevskiy (490 games played) and Jacques Plante (521).

Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice, including one into an empty net, and Mark Scheifele had the other goal for the Jets (29-12-3), who are 2-1-2 in their eight-game homestand.

Winnipeg’s defensive play helped Hellebuyck earn the shutout by not allowing Colorado a lot of scoring chances.

After the visitors put up 10 shots on goal in the first period, they were outshot 12-5 in the second. The Avs tipped the scales 7-6 in their favour in the third, including a power play with three shots that Hellebuyck turned aside.

Winnipeg blocked 18 shots compared to Colorado’s nine. The Avalanche also only won 39.1 per cent of faceoffs.

“Against a team like that, they’re going to get a few chances,” Ehlers said. “I think we kept that number very low today, so we’re happy with that.”

Hellebuyck has shut out the Avalanche in three consecutive regular-season games, dating back to April 13 last year, Nov. 7 and the latest.

Colorado head coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the combo of Hellebuyck and Winnipeg’s defence.

“It was rock solid,” Bednar said. “So one thing you can’t do, is that we came out a little soft and they got that early goal, and then we kind of picked it up a little bit in the second half of the first period (which) I like.

“But you spot them one, it’s tough enough to try and find the offence, and then they’re digging in. … It just didn’t look like we had the energy and the determination to kind of get through some of their checking. We had some opportunities. We checked hard. We played hard, but the offence just wasn’t coming tonight for us.”

Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 26 shots for Colorado (26-17-1), which finished a three-game road trip going 1-2-0.

“They play good defence, tight,” Blackwood said of the Jets. “They don’t give you a lot of chances so you know it’s going to be a close game and another close one today.”

Winnipeg led 1-0 after the first period following Ehlers’ high shot over the glove side of Blackwood at 1:08.

Kyle Connor almost gave the Jets a two-goal lead twice midway through the second. His close-in, low shot on a breakaway was stopped by Blackwood, then a backhand shot a minute later hit a post.

But Connor did set up Scheifele’s goal, putting a short pass to the open side of the net for Scheifele to flip in his team-leading 25th of the season at 15:53.

Ehlers notched his empty-net marker with 57 seconds remaining.

He also tipped his hat to Hellebuyck.

“Bucky is the best, there’s no way around it,” Ehlers said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2025.