Diagnosing Connor Hellebuyck: Why has the Jets’ star goalie lost his way?

Credit: Connor Hellebuyck (© James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports)

Two weeks ago, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was a likely finalist for the Vezina Trophy, the award presented annually to the NHL’s top netminder. But after allowing 22 goals in his past five games – and being pulled twice – things have changed.

The Jets are struggling. The team has only one win in its past eight games, of which Hellebuyck was the starting goaltender for seven. The 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner has seen his save percentage drop from .925 to .918 in just 14 days.

So what’s wrong with Connor?

I watched every shot Hellebuyck faced in his last five games and can’t find anything of glaring concern. Hellebuyck isn’t getting routinely ripped by clean shots or allowing bad goals. The Jets have simply been atrocious defensively in front of him. But there are a few details Hellebuyck and his teammates can improve upon. Let me explain.

LATERAL PLAYS

The strength of Hellebuyck’s game – from my standpoint – is his intelligence. He’s methodical. Hellebuyck thinks the game very well and that allows him to anticipate the play. But skating is his downfall. And Hellebuyck isn’t particularly explosive.

Seam passes and lateral plays are key to beating any goaltender. But against Hellebuyck, it can make a big difference. So it behooves the Jets defense to keep the puck from going cross-ice.

Whether it’s on the penalty kill, or defending against odd-man rushes, Winnipeg has to do a better job of letting Hellebuyck handle the shooter.

The first goal shown, a power play tally by Anze Kopitar of the L.A. Kings, comes off a quick pass by Kevin Fiala that should have never been allowed by the Jets. Hellebuyck, despite taking a proper route to the far post, can’t get across in time. Kopitar has the entire net.

The goal isn’t Hellebuyck’s fault by any stretch. But it does show his somewhat limited ability to move laterally. And the same can be said about Mattias Janmark’s tally for the Edmonton Oilers. It’s a simple two-on-one with little deception involved. But Hellebuyck can’t get to the far post in time. The Jets have to do a better job of preventing these plays.

TOO DEEP

Hellebuyck is not a goaltender who spends a lot of time deep in the crease. He will if the situation calls for it, but the Jets goalkeeper prefers to play towards the top of the blue paint.

Something I have noticed is that Hellebuyck will occasionally retreat too quickly when an opposing player is attacking the net.

I’d like to see Hellebuyck at the top of his crease as Kings forward Gabe Vilardi approaches. Hellebuyck gets beat short-side high, and while it’s a good shot by Vilardi, I think the Jets goaltender gave away too much net.

It’s been happening on breakways as well, as shown in the second clip. Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon is coming full throttle all alone – never an easy save. But I think Hellebuyck ends up too deep in his crease and gives the Colorado center too much space to shoot.

DIFFICULTY ROTATING

Hellebuyck’s skating is one area that’s constantly been a work in progress. And while it has improved over the course of his NHL career, it still leaves something to be desired. Especially on quick plays when the angle changes in a hurry.

Both of these goals are the result of unreal shots by Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl. And it’s tough to fault Hellebuyck on either. But there is a detail worth noticing.

Watch Hellebuyck’s left foot. He has a tendency to move it forward before rotating, which causes an outside-in skating route towards the post. That movement with his foot slows him down by a split second. Optimally, Hellebuyck would open his left hip and lead his skating route with his toe, rather than his heel. He’d get square faster and have a better chance of making the save.

ABANDONING SPACE

Hellebuyck tends to do well against traffic. Standing 6-foot-4, he has no problem looking over and around players standing in front of him. But I do think Hellebuyck could use a slightly more restrained approach when defending against tips and deflections.

In the first clip, Hellebuyck needs to get his feet set. He’s pushing into the Oilers’ initial point shot. And once the puck bounces away from the pile, it’s impossible for him to stop his forward momentum. He ends up straying from the crease and leaving the net wide open.

The next two clips are a little different. Both goals are deflected by Kopitar without any resistance from the Jets. It’s unacceptable for Winnipeg to leave the Kings captain alone with his stick available in the low slot.

Regardless, a little more restraint from Hellebuyck would have served him well. He ends up sliding into each deflection and abandons a large portion of the net. When Kopitar tips the puck against the grain, Hellebuyck can’t reverse his movement.

This is where an off-center drop makes more sense than a slide. And Hellebuyck is usually very good at it. These goals serve as a reminder that filling the middle of the net is critical against tipped shots.

CONCLUSION

Over the course of an NHL season, goaltenders will face tough stretches. The Jets have had a demanding schedule recently against good opponents, and Hellebuyck has taken a beating. But I don’t see any reason to think he’s lost his game. Hellebuyck has made plenty of quality saves over the past five games.

I do have questions. I can’t help but wonder if riding Hellebuyck so hard – he’s played on consecutive days twice in the past three weeks – is asking too much. Hellebuyck wants to play every game. But is that feasible? Should David Rittich draw into the Jets crease more often?

That’s hard to say. But playing Hellebuyck two nights in a row against the Oilers – with travel – doesn’t look good in retrospect. Hellebuyck allowed four goals on 24 shots in the first matchup on March 3 and was pulled after 40 minutes. He then allowed five goals on 35 shots the following evening.

Wednesday night, Winnipeg fans serenaded Hellebuyck with a Bronx cheer after making a routine save against the Minnesota Wild. Thanks a lot, huh? Hellebuyck has carried the Jets all season and the fans reward him with that? Embarrassing.

Winnipeg went on to lose to the Wild 4-2. And I do wonder if the sheer quantity of recent goals against is starting to make Hellebuyck second guess himself. Because the final goal he allowed against Minnesota – a weak wrist shot by forward Ryan Hartman, should have never gone in.

What’s the level of Hellebuyck’s confidence? Outwardly he always exudes strength. But that Hartman goal – after the way things have gone recently for the Jets – makes me wonder where he’s at mentally.

Bottom line: the Jets have to tighten up. They cannot continue to be a mess in their defensive zone. Breakouts haven’t been good enough. Turnovers have been aplenty. And the clip below sums up the past few weeks for Winnipeg.

Sometimes all it takes is a big goaltending performance to get a team out of the gutter. And Hellebuyck has done it before. Any success of the Jets franchise over the past eight seasons has largely been carried on the Michigan-born goaltender’s back.

Hellebuyck, like every NHL netminder – has things to work on. But to assign blame for Winnipeg’s recent struggles squarely on him would be wrong.

Hellebuyck has one season remaining on his contract with the Jets. Maybe Winnipeg fans should think twice before mocking a franchise goaltender.

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