Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck never chose to go into a spiral when dealing with a losing streak, even when he was dealing with the most difficult times in his career. Especially when he was dealing with the most difficult times in his career. Reason- Hellebuyck built his entire game around his two biggest strengths: his stature and his brain. Hence, it might be the potential reason for the Winnipeg Jets goaltender to address the latest loss that his team encountered.

The latest blow for the Winnipeg Jets came in Game 4 as the Stars’ “new” Finnish Mafia combined to help Mikael Granlund score his first career playoffs hat-trick. To say that the goalie who is the frontrunner for this year’s Vezina Trophy has had a rough playoffs would be an understatement. So with the Winnipeg Jets down 3-1 in the series, the Jets’ goalie broke his own rule after their Game 4 heartbreak.

“Connor Hellebuyck doesn’t do interviews following losses. He did tonight,” wrote Former Sports Director CKND/Global Winnipeg, Joe Pascucci. And looking at the Winnipeg Jets’ goalie, it was clear that the hat-trick loss had phased him, at least momentarily. “I leave it all out there every night. I do my best, and you know, sometimes it’s a heartbreak,” the goaltender said, his disappointment palpable.

Yet, despite the emotions, the first netminder to reach 30 wins in the NHL regular season did snuff out the optimism completely. “All it takes is one little change, one little bounce, and things can start going our way. And we’re a good team, so we can really rack them up, but we just got to worry about one at a time,” added the 31-year-old. Unfortunately, time is running out.

Losing Game 4 has put the Winnipeg Jets on the brink. One more loss, and the series will be over by Game 5. So, if Connor Hellebuyck has to show up, the time is now. Yet, the odds are stacked against the goaltender. With one of Dallas’s biggest stars returning to the fold, things may only get tougher in the next game.

A revitalized Dallas Stars and Connor Hellebuyck’s troubled playoff history

Besides Mikael Granlund’s achievement, all of Dallas’s Finnish stars played together for the first time since Mikko Rantanen joined. After missing 42 games, thanks to a knee injury, Miro Heiskanen joined Rantanen, Granlund, Esa Lindell, and Roope Hintz. Safe to say, Heiskanen’s long-awaited return was exactly the kind of playoff boost the Stars needed.

While Heiskanen did fumble the puck once, he also scored a point, notching an assist and helping Granlund complete his hat-trick against Connor Hellebuyck. But the biggest difference he’ll make is taking pressure off of Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell. Harley is averaging 25:00 minutes on ice, while Lindell is averaging 27:11 minutes. Now, with Heiskanen back in the lineup, Harley and Lindell will also fall back to more appropriate roles.

So it’s safe to say the Dallas Stars won’t be making things any easier for Connor Hellebuyck. Despite the goalie’s optimism, the 31-year-old has a history of underperforming in the playoffs. “The last time Connor Hellebuyck was in a playoff series (coming off a Vezina season) 5 GP, 1 W, 4 L, .864 SV %, 5.23 GAA,” hockey writer Thomas Welch wrote in April.

In fact, on April 17, Connor Hellebuyck bagged another goaltending award, the William M. Jennings Trophy. “This trophy is awarded to the goalie(s) (min. 25 games played) for the team with the fewest goals against during the regular season,” wrote the NHL while posting about the goaltender. Fast-forward to the playoffs, and that stat has fallen apart, with Hellebuyck conceding the two hat-tricks in four games against the Dallas Stars.

While Hellebuyck has done better, he has still won only five out of the 11 playoff games so far. What’s worse? This pattern has remained unchanged for the last two seasons. The Jets’ goaltender also lost four of his five games during the 2022-23 playoffs. So with the Winnipeg Jets just one loss away from exiting the Stanley Cup playoffs, Hellebuyck is looking at a steep climb.