Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck is one of the top goalies in the NHL, but some feel he doesn't get enough credit. His teammate, Adam Lowry, recently spoke out about Hellebuyck with NHL insider Greg Wyshynski.
They were talking about Hellebuyck's likelihood of becoming the US team's goalie in the 4 Nations faceoff scheduled for February next year.
Lowry was unhappy with the rankings which didn't have his teammate in the top 5 goaltenders.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he will be or should be the starter," Lowry said. "He won the Vezina. Best goalie in the world. Sometimes he's under-appreciated for what he is. You see these rankings and he's not even top 5."
Hellebuyck has been outstanding this season. He has an 11-1-0 record with a 1.83 GAA and a .935 save percentage. He also has three shutouts, including a franchise-record shutout streak of 191:47. In a recent game against Dallas, he made 32 saves and helped the Jets win 4-1.
Hellebuyck’s strong play has made him a strong candidate for the Vezina Trophy again, and possibly even the Hart Trophy if he keeps up his performance. The Jets will look to Hellebuyck to continue his success in their next game against the Florida Panthers.
Connor Hellebuyck helped get the Jets another win against the Dallas Stars
The Winnipeg Jets beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Saturday, setting an NHL record with 14 wins in their first 15 games. Jets coach Scott Arniel praised the team, calling their start “amazing” and encouraging players to stay focused.
"I'm pretty amazed, a little bit," Arniel said per NHL.com. "At the same time, these players, they do have to recognize that it's an amazing feat what they've done so far. But we'd like to just keep this going a little bit longer. But at the end of the day, they've got to be awfully proud of what they've done."
Alex Iafallo scored the first goal on a power play at 7:28 in the first period, assisted by Vladislav Namestnikov. Rasmus Kupari then made it 2-0 after capitalizing on a Stars turnover.
In the second period, Namestnikov pushed the score to 3-0, poking in a loose puck from his own wraparound attempt. Shortly after, Nikolaj Ehlers scored with a one-timer on another power play, making it 4-0 and leading Dallas to pull their goalie, Jake Oettinger.
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s shutout streak of 191:47 ended in the third period when Roope Hintz scored at 18:38. Despite this, Hellebuyck finished with 32 saves. Arniel praised Hellebuyck’s performance, calling him “elite.”