Connor Hellebuyck of Commerce, MI recorded his 17th career shutout as a member of the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Hellebuyck made 31 saves as the Jets defeated the Minnesota Wild 6-0 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN.
Hellebuyck made 14 saves in the first period, 11 saves in the second period and six saves in the third period. It was also Hellebuyck’s third shutout of the 2019-20 National Hockey League regular season. Hellebuyck previously beat the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 in a shootout on October 20 and the Anaheim Ducks 3-0 on November 29. Hellebuyck is now tied for the NHL lead in shutouts with Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne of Kempele, Finland and Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry of Surrey, British Columbia.
During the 2019-20 NHL regular season, Hellebuyck has been extremely busy. He has had the most save attempts in the NHL (910) and had to make the most saves (843). In a NHL high 30 games, Hellebuyck has a record of 17 wins, 10 regulation losses and two losses in extra time. He has a goals against average of 2.44 and a save percentage of .926.
In the Jets win over the Wild, defenseman Josh Morrissey of Calgary, Alberta led the Jets with three assists and three points. Other Jets players with a multi-point game were Patrik Laine of Tampere, Finland (two goals), Blake Wheeler of Plymouth, MN (one goal and one assist), and former Wild defenseman Anthony Bitetto of Island Park, NY (two assists).
As the Jets move forward this season, they may need to make a switch when it comes to their backup goaltending to lighten the load on Hellebuyck. Laurent Brossoit of Port Alberni, British Columbia has a record of four wins and three losses, but has a rather high goals against average of 3.23 and low save percentage of .890.
The Jets are currently in third place in the Central Division with a record of 21 wins, 13 regulation losses and two losses in extra time for 44 points. They lead the Nashville Predators by four points for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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