Speaking to the media at the Canadiens hotel in Montreal on Saturday morning, Ryan told reporters that he expects Connor Hellebuyck to find the back of the net against his former team.
Lane has never played against Hellebuyck.
“The last two times I’ve been here, I don’t think he’s played. He’s got straw flu — I mean, that’s understandable,” Ryan quipped.
But when the buzzer sounded for the Winnipeg Jets’ 4-2 victory over the Habs, it was the two-time Vezina Trophy winner who had the last laugh.
Hellebuyck kept Ryan from scoring, saving all seven of the latter’s recorded shots. Four of them appeared on Game of Thrones.
“No flu tonight,” Helleback said after the game. “He had a lot of shots tonight. He’s a great shooter. But there was nothing for him.”
One of the saves deserves a highlight reel, when Hellebuyck made a cross-crease blocker to rob Ryan of a power shot, losing his stick in the process before swatting the puck out of mid-air with his hand. .
Hellebcik didn’t hear Ryan’s pregame remarks until he was asked about it after the game. But he doesn’t need any extra motivation to commit. Having played against him numerous times in training – not to mention his trademark one-timers being no secret – Hellebuyck’s positioning is as a man who knows what to do every time and Ryan is at his mark. Sexual shooting spot.
“He always had the ability to recognize what was going to happen in the next situation,” Anil said.
While Jets fans are undeniably happy to see Ryan happy, healthy and back playing, there’s always going to be a nagging sense of “what could have been” that surfaces in this market. It stings to see a player your team drafted second overall and became one of the game’s most prolific scorers as a teenager wearing another team’s colors. It’s been nearly four years since he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Pierre-Luc Dubois, and there’s still a long list of Laine’s jerseys on any given night at the Center for Canadian Life.
But Saturday’s game was a not-so-subtle reminder that they do have the talent to make a difference. That’s the best goalie on the planet.
“I see it every night, and when you watch it over and over again, I probably take it for granted. I was thinking about that the other day,” Josh Morrissey said after the game. “I think when I played my 600th game, I was thinking, if he was in the net, I could have played at least 500. As a player, that’s very lucky. He makes it look easy, But I guarantee that’s not the case, in my opinion he is a very, very special talent and a true generational goalkeeper.”
Of course, Hellebuyck’s talents on or off the ice aren’t as marketable as Ryan once was. But it’s hard to deny that Hellebuyck has been the team’s most impactful player since it moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg.
Since the 2016-17 season (his first start), no goalkeeper has recorded more shutouts than Hellebeke (38), who also ranks second in wins (281). According to data retrieved by NaturalStatTrick.com, Hellebuyck ranks fourth among 61 goalies who have played at least 150 games in that span in terms of saving more goals than expected per 60 minutes (0.21). He’s been doing this while facing the 19th-most high-danger shots per game (7.99).
He was all but a lock for a third Vezina title, boasting a .926 save percentage, 2.11 goals-against average and three shutouts in 25 games. At this rate, it’s hard to foresee him being left off the Hart Trophy ballot.
Frankly, it’s not inconceivable that Hellebuyck would be inducted into the Hall of Fame once the dust settles. He doesn’t need a Stanley Cup to get there. Winning a Four Nations title, and possibly even an Olympic gold medal, would give him enough accolades to fulfill that requirement.
If he remains in Winnipeg for the duration of his current contract, it will mark nearly two decades with the Jets. Until then, you’ll be seeing more “Hellebuyck” names on the backs of fans at the Canadian Life Center — not “Laine.”
