Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel didn’t wish to discuss his opponent.
When a query was prefaced with, “the Blues had been speaking about,” Arniel snapped.
“I do not care what the Blues discuss,” he instructed reporters after his group misplaced 5-2 to the St. Louis Blues, forcing a Recreation 7. “That is the Winnipeg Jets. We’ve a mode of play that we now have to play. We acquired to it for about half-hour and we dropped off huge time.”
Winnipeg surrendered 4 unanswered objectives in simply in need of 5 and a half minutes. It was a series of occasions we had seen earlier than — notably in Recreation 4 — and from the surface wanting in, the knee-jerk response is in charge Connor Hellebuyck.
“This isn’t about Connor,” Arniel mentioned. “Tonight was not about Connor. Tonight, we imploded in entrance of him.”
Nicely, two issues may be true.
There’s little doubt the Jets did Hellebuyck no favours — be it through poor line adjustments, missed assignments and, but once more, an excessive amount of internet entrance site visitors. And the Blues pounced.
“We utilized our pace and our physicality,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery instructed reporters. “I assumed we had been in a position to be bodily down low, we had been in a position to skate with some pace by way of the impartial zone and we had been actually dedicated to attending to the online entrance once more. These first couple of objectives, they’re actually good display screen objectives.”
However let’s additionally face the info: Hellebuyck has been pulled in each street recreation this collection for a cause. He hasn’t been excellent.
We are able to discuss programs, breakdowns and all the opposite issues that issue right into a goaltender’s efficiency within the playoffs however the bottom-line is, it’s video games like these the place somebody like Hellebuyck — coming off an everyday season the place he was nominated for each the Hart and Vezina Trophy — must ship.
If you’re a participant that’s showered with “M—V—P” chants in your individual barn, there’s an expectation you can steal video games. When your top-six is with out Mark Scheifele — to not point out that Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers are hardly 100 per cent wholesome — you’ve acquired to grind out a 2-1 win. Apart from, that’s what this group strives for each evening, proper?
Positive, in this sort of recreation, particularly, there’s much more of an onus on the Jets’ defencemen to win internet entrance battles. However it’s a double-edged sword — Hellebuyck is equally, if no more, accountable to take his recreation to the subsequent stage. And he’s achieved the alternative of that in these playoffs.
In six playoff video games, Hellebuyck has posted an .815 save proportion and a 4.42 objectives in opposition to common. Save percentages normally dwindle this time of yr — Andrei Vasilevskiy has additionally sported a sub-.900 save proportion during the last three playoffs — however that’s teetering round unplayable territory.
If he doesn’t rebound in Recreation 7, this collection is over.
“Now it’s a one-game showdown. It’s our goalie in opposition to their goalie,” Arniel mentioned.
• Ehlers might not be at 100 per cent however he nonetheless managed to have a palpable impression. Ehlers performed a few of his finest hockey alongside Adam Lowry through the common season and alongside Cole Perfetti, the Jets makeshift second line outchanced St. Louis 9-2. Whether or not Scheifele performs in Recreation 7 or not, I’d be curious to see if Arniel retains that second line in-tact. Secondary scoring has been exhausting to return by this collection.
• Talking of Ehlers, his return to the facility play definitely gave the highest unit a jolt. He could haven’t been wheeling round and flying by guys however Ehlers made a number of sharp performs that saved the Blues PK on their toes — which we haven’t seen a whole lot of all through this collection.
• Perfetti deserves his flowers. Not solely did he (actually) bat house an influence play purpose however all collection lengthy, the 23-year-old hasn’t cratered in any of those tight-checking video games. Is there one other stage for him to get to? For positive. However what we’ve seen from Perfetti in these playoffs is indicative of his season-long progress.
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