Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was pulled from Game 6 Friday night as the Winnipeg Jets fell 5-2 to the St. Louis Blues, forcing a decisive Game 7 in the opening round Stanley Cup Playoff series.
It marked the third consecutive game in St. Louis that Hellebuyck did not finish. Backup Eric Comrie took over at the start of the third period.
Hellebuyck allowed five goals on 23 shots through two periods. This included four goals scored by the Blues in a span of 5 minutes, 23 seconds during the second period.
Jets coach Scott Arniel defended his goalie after the loss. He stated the team did not play well in front of him.
“This isn’t about Connor,” Arniel said. “Tonight was not about Connor. Tonight, we imploded in front of him. Now, it’s a one-game showdown. It’s our goalie against their goalie, our best players against their best, our grinders against theirs.”
He added, “I have a lot of confidence in our group — not just Helly.”
Hellebuyck, a finalist for both the Vezina Trophy and the Hart Trophy this season, finished the regular season with a 47-12-3 record, a 2.00 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage. His playoff performance has been less consistent, with a 3-3 record, a 4.42 GAA, and an .815 save percentage in six starts.
Forward Nikolaj Ehlers returned to the lineup for Game 6 after missing time due to injury. He echoed Arniel’s sentiment that the loss was a team issue.
“Oh, definitely self-inflicted,” Ehlers said. “I don’t need to talk about ‘Bucky.’ Bucky has been phenomenal for us all year, and he’s continued to do that. We’ve got to be better.”
The Jets have lost all three games played in St. Louis in the series, being outscored 17-5 in those contests. They have won all three games played at home in Winnipeg.
Forward Cole Perfetti scored his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal in the game but noted the team's lapses. “Happened a couple times now in this series where we fell asleep for a few minutes and they jumped on us,” Perfetti said.
The Jets played Game 6 without forward Mark Scheifele, who sustained an injury in the previous game.
Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday in Winnipeg.
