Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck candidly spoke about the relief he felt after the Winnipeg Jets' hard-fought Game 7 win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
"I definitely felt a little something there," Hellebuyck said, according to Winnipeg News' Mike McIntyre. "At this point, the pressure has kind of fallen off. The weight of the world is off my shoulders."
Hellebuyck was pulled three times in the first-round series versus the Blues and struggled with a .830 save percentage through seven games. However, the Vezina trophy favorite came through when it mattered most, stopping all nine shots he faced in overtime of Game 7 to keep the Jets' season alive.
"Getting into that OT, it was, 'I'm not going to let these guys down,'" Hellebuyck said, per McIntyre. "They pulled through, and the rest is history."
He added: "Seeing how many people believe in me and care about me in this room was a really good feeling. Talk about growth moments."
Hellebuyck's issues have been a recurring theme in recent postseasons. He allowed 24 goals in five contests in Winnipeg's first-round exit against the Colorado Avalanche last year and 18 goals in a five-game series versus the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.
"It's one of those things that had been building all those years, and I think it's just because I want it so bad," Hellebuyck said, according to McIntyre.
Hellebuyck and the Jets are back in the second round for the first time since 2021, with their sights set on reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2018.
"We're in some new territory that we haven't been in in a little while," Hellebuyck said, per McIntyre. "I'm really excited. It's a restart for me. Who cares about what just happened? We got through it, and moving forward here, I'm really excited to put my best foot forward and do my job."
The Jets host the Dallas Stars for Wednesday's Game 1.
