OUT-GOALTENDED: A confident, if not cocky, Connor Hellebuyck said after Game 4 that the “stars have aligned” for the Vegas Golden Knights “but it’s not going to stay that way.” There is little evidence to support Hellebuyck’s claim. He has been significantly outplayed by counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury.
“They’re one-goal games, so that feels like the difference,” Maurice said of the goaltending.
Through four games, Fleury owns a .930 save percentage, while Hellebuyck is hovering at .897. It hasn’t just been the goals that he’s given up, but also the timing of them. The 137
combined seconds between four response goals from Vegas have been the difference in the series. Hellebuyck was directly responsible for two of those backbreakers when he bobbled the puck behind the net.
“I feel like Winnipeg is a team that feeds off the momentum when they get a goal,” Fleury said Friday. "But we’ve been great at getting one right back.”
When the Jets desperately needed a stop, when Reilly Smith was on a breakaway, Hellebuyck was beaten short-side.
“I’ve liked [my game] all series long,” Hellebuyck said. “Obviously it’s got to be a little bit better because we’ve got to win, that’s the bottom line.”