Connor Hellebuck - Worst Playoff Goalie in NHL history

[Fatass]

Worst? No.

Got to wonder if the Jets keep going back to him this series though.

The difference between Helly and Cloutier is Helly wins the Vézina during the regular season and then turns into a sieve in the playoffs. Cloutier was not ever Vézina level.

 

[shaner8989]

Yes. end of thread. He’s an absolute embarrassment.

 

[TheDoldrums]

He's not the worst playoff goalie ever but he probably does have the biggest dropoff in performance from the regular season ever over these last few years

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

A lot of those goals today were more on the Jets d being trash than him

 

[Miller Time]

He's certainly putting to rest any comparisons to the other top goalies of recent memory.

Regular season success means very little if you aren't winning playoff games for your team, let alone when your team is a favorite

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

He's known to be a playoff choker while he plays like 70 games a season and seems incredibly fine.

So it's not about being tired. Crumble under pressure. Sadly not everyone can beat nerves

 

[Frank Drebin]

This sounds crazy but I don't miss the days of having an elite goalie. Just give me a regular guy that is a gamer in the playoffs.

 

[JianYang]

I mean the Jets could reduce his starts but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll play better because of it.

Hypothetically speaking, he could have a lower amount of starts in the regular season and still underperform in the playoffs.

This could very well be who he is in the playoffs.. Jekyll and Hyde.

Yes, it may not help. I am not guaranteeing anything. I'm just surprised they haven't at least tried it, particularly this year where he also had 4 nations plus a nice cushion in the standings.

It's not a situation like montembeault, who the habs also played the shit out of essentially because their playoffs started a long time ago and they had problems with their backup situation (who is now out of the lineup after what appears to be a pulled hamstring).

 

[Gjman2019]

That's just a generic saying that doesn't apply to all situations. You play the goalie that you think will give you the best chance of winning. Who cares what he did in the regular season.

I wouldn't want to go down having the guy with the higher ceiling on the bench though.

 

[Frank Drebin]

A lot of those goals today were more on the Jets d being trash than him

I thought so too, but I can also understand that this game is one of many from Helle.

 

[Zerotonine]

Dan cloutier was incredibly bad when Vancouver was an absolute beast of a team

 

[TheOrganist]

Screw the the technical stuff. Just look at the compete level in net between Binner and Hellebuck. That 3rd goal today was just embarrassing.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Updated after today's game.

 

[Wallet Inspector]

What's strange is that he was pretty good for his first few playoffs, but then started falling off hard in the 2022-2023 season.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Updated after today's game.

View attachment 1024399

Lol, skinner

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Yeah, he’s bad in big games, but people don’t want to admit that the Jets are also just a worse team when you get to the playoffs and the competition is more difficult.

They rely too much on systems, defense, physicality, grit, and not enough on individual talent. You can’t win in the playoffs merely because “you play the right way.” You also need high end talent that they don’t have enough of.

So yeah, the best of that team, who himself has performed poorly in the playoffs, gets exposed when the other guys are getting exposed too.

 

[HFBS]

I don't care if he is or isn't the worst, but I love it being bandied about.

 

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Before 2005, Jim Carey comes to mind. Two phenomenal regular seasons, Vezina at 21, two consecutive playoff blowouts. He never really recovered his game after that.

 

[CN8]

The fact he’s not the worst says something about edmontons chances

 

[NVious]

Updated after today's game.

View attachment 1024399

He's ahead of Skinner and Lindgren, he's not the worst!!!

 

[Fantomas]

The series is 2-2. I get the frustration, but unbunch your panties and breathe.

 

[Sadekuuro]

Before 2005, Jim Carey comes to mind. Two phenomenal regular seasons, Vezina at 21, two consecutive playoff blowouts. He never really recovered his game after that.

His lack of lateral mobility was seriously exposed, he couldn't hide after that.


The classic answer would be Tony Esposito.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

Stop with the facts
The truth is not welcome here

I mean, he has been epic bad these last 3 postseasons dont get me wrong. 4 or more goals in 10 of his last 13 (and 3 in 2 of the others) im just saying he wasnt always like this. At this point, i think he may be inside hisbhead since the vegas meltdown and every bad game in playoffs gets inside his head more now.. bht i felt obligated to point out he indeed wasnt always bad in the playoffs

 

[WATTAGE4451]

League average save percentage that playoff year was .907. He had a .902. Avs won in spite of him.

To be fair to kuemper, he was doing well in the first series til he got stabbed in the eye andnmissed final game of series. He came back in 2nd series vs blues and sucked and sucked game 1 vs oilers before he sat out rest of series cuz he was having vision/swelling problems.

He came back in finals and was mixed bag having skme horrible games but also having great games in 3 of their wins despite being terrible in 1.of the losses

Considering the eye injury he suffered round 1 in nashville later sidelined him again in the 3rd roudn, i think its fair to say his eye might have been affecting his play when he came back inbetween. Even if he could mostly see and his vision wasnat 95%. Seeingnthe puck just a .1 of a second later than normal from a shot out far can be the difference of a routine save vs a weak goal from far out being late to react.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

So his save percentage was below league average by 5 points. That's still not "trash".

Sounds more or less average.

He was good in the first round before he got stabbed in the eye and.missednfinal game ofnthat series. He was bad when he returned jn the 2nd round and the first game of the 3rd round before he sat out the rest ofnthe 3rd round ciz he saidnthat eye was bothering him again. He returned in the cup finals and was mostly fine to good in the finals other than 1 game.

I think people are completely.neglecting to consider that the eye injury was affecting his play inbetween. Makes sense he wasnt seeing the puck right simce that injury since he later had to sit out again because of the eye. It was probably never right in the time he played inbetween. Bye the time of the cup finals he finally gave it enough time to heal.