Connor Hellebuyck - Worst Playoff Goalie in NHL history

[Megustaelhockey]

No one has ever studied the position more in the world.

Too bad he was reading the books upside down.

 

[Breakers]

DAN CLOUTIER 2.0 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Really the only award that has any credence is the Lester/Lindsay.

Mark Messier Leadership Award.

 

[Osprey]

Goalies are voodoo but this is different.

Are we sure that this is different than voodoo?

 

[kevsh]

At least it's clear now why the Jets fought so hard all year to wrap up home ice advantage.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

Nothing is wrong with him in the playoffs, he's just not that good and a system goaltender.

The real thing that is wrong is the perception of Connor Hellebuyck.

Somethings mentally wrong cuz hes been historically bad the last 3 playoffs, and had a .921 sv% in his first 4 postseasons before these last 3 playoffs. Something rattled him in that vegas series and now hes in his head in the playoffs.

 

[landy]

so obviously a home team series. No chance they don’t go back to helle again, right?

But cmon stars or avs will feast on this.

 

[LeonDraisaitl]

god goaltenders are impossible to figure out.

 

[HockeyVirus]

He reminds me of Bobrosvky a decade ago. Elite goalie who was a sieve in post season and carried that reputation for many years until he was almost 40

 

[Summer Rose]

He reminds me of Bobrosvky a decade ago. Elite goalie who was a sieve in post season and carried that reputation for many years until he was almost 40

So what you're saying is that he's finally going to turn it on and win a cup in his late 30s or so?

 

[JKG33]

He reminds me of Bobrosvky a decade ago. Elite goalie who was a sieve in post season and carried that reputation for many years until he was almost 40

Bob was never THIS bad.

Bob went from Vezina winner to below mid.

Hellebuyck went from fraudulent Vezina to "he might be worse than Skinner"

 

[phillyb]

 

[LeafsNation149]

I had him as the Hart and Vezina winner and he might not play in game 7 wow.

.800 sv% i've never seen this before

 

[VivaLasVegas]

No one has ever studied the position more in the world.

 

[Heldig]

He has proven he cannot handle the pressure of playoff hockey. His play does not remotely resemble regular season performance.

He looks small in the net, unsure, and jittery.

Death knoll for a goalie and there is nothing worse for a team than to play in front of a sieve.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Biggest fraud on the NHL
He has 1 game to prove otherwise

 

[Tasteless Beaver]

I just don't understand why it has to be different. It's just hockey, the pressure shouldn't change muscle memory and a routine that is overwhelmingly burned into you. It's like he just doesn't see the game in front of him.

 

[Video Nasty]

Hellebuyck is really looking out of place among three time or more Vezina winners. What an abysmal series.

Has faced a mere 119 shots over 6 games and has let in 23 goals for a truly horrific .807 SV%.

Unfathomably awful. When you’re worse than Stu, you’ve truly hit rock bottom.

 

[NYR94]

No one has ever studied the position more in the world.

Too bad he was reading the books upside down.

That was such a weird thing to hear him say. Big "Akshually I'm an expert " energy.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

No one has ever studied the position more in the world.

Too bad he was reading the books upside down.

Doesn't help that those books were written by Dan Cloutier and Patrick Lalime, and featured a special foreword covering the modern game by Stu Skinner.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Maybe he will do better in market where hockey isn't the most focused on sport? I dunno.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Bob was never THIS bad.

Bob went from Vezina winner to below mid.

Hellebuyck went from fraudulent Vezina to "he might be worse than Skinner"

Sad to say, there’s no “might be” in that equation any more.

0.815 through six playoff games. You probably get better performance from an EBUG.

 

[OysterForever]

Hellebuyck went from fraudulent Vezina to "he might be worse than Skinner"

Craziest thing is that you can say this with a straight face and it is not meant to be an exaggerated joke

 

[Fantomas]

If anything its that "advanced stats" are a f***ing farce that they show Hellebuyck, a system goalie, as that much better than everyone else

If advanced stats are a farce, then all stats are a farce. What stats you like better for regular season Hellebuyck? You've invented new ones to expose him for the supposed fraud he is?

Get outta here.

 

[Oilslick941611]

He led a deep run to the WCF in 2018 (third in GSAx those playoffs) and swept the Oilers in 2021.

Stuart Skinner has had four implosions over seven playoff series. He's the worst playoff goaltender of the modern era. And people who want to talk about him "making it to Game 7" forget that he was losing the Vancouver series pretty much on his own against middling AHL goalie Arturs Silovs and had to be bailed out by Pickard.

Or that he pretty much lost Game 3 of the SCF on his own (Oilers lose by one goal...) after he had poor performances in the first two games.

And when he got to Game 7 he let in an absolute muffin that should've been a routine save on Sam Rinehart. We lost by one goal.

He was also 26th out of 28 goalies in the 2023 playoffs. He pretty much lost the Vegas series on his own. Oilers likely win the Cup that year with a better goalie.

And he currently sits dead last in GSAx.

the contracts, career trajectory and expectations are heavily slanted to Skinner here, he's a guy who makes 2 mil, was a back up that was thrusted into the starter job, lost it. Comparing him to someone like Hellebyuck who has a Vezina trophy and a nomination this season and another playoff implosion, hasn't won anything in his pro career.

The anwser is clearly Hellebuyck. This is a guy who should be near the top based on expectations and never lives up to them in the playoffs.