Connor Hellebuyck - Worst Playoff Goalie in NHL history

[edevils]

As a Canucks fan who wanted them to put Schneider in over Luongo in game 7 and still thinks they would have won the Cup if they did - the Jets coach needs to grow a pair and put Comrie in game 7. This could be the difference between another crushing loss or possibly a trip to to the finals. Sometimes you gotta just try something different and not worry about hurting feelings.

I think you'd have to trade Helle if you don't start him in game 7.

You can keep him, sure... but how can the franchise keep going, knowing that the #1 goalie can't be counted on when the stakes are at their highest?

 

[Stevonidas]

Game 6 is not Hellebuyck at all. Goal 3 was the only softie he should've had.

Goal 1: Blues player is literally ass-to-mask on Helle, plus it's a knuckle puck shot. No chance.
Goal 2. Blues player left completely alone in the paint by Jets defender watching the game.
Goal 3: Weak glove side sieve. Should've had that one.
Goal 4: Blues player in the paint while high Jets defender allows the uncontested shot which passes by three Jets defenders with no shot block attempt.
Goal 5: Lazy turnover made worse by being screened by own defensemen.

Verdict: Piss-poor defensive effort all night by Winnipeg, who let the Blues park in front of the crease all game. They're a skilled team regular season team that just isn't built for the grind of the postseason. Hellebuyck can only stop what he can see.

 

[Buffdog]

Yet he can still win the series with an .815 save percentage lol

 

[Thallis]

If he loses game 7, even by a reasonable score, I don’t see how he doesn’t have a Luongo-type reputation going forward. Putting up these numbers in the first round on a President’s Trophy team is a disaster.

If Hellebuck was putting up a Luongo-esque performance, this series would have ended on Wednesday

 

[Jay26]

I think you'd have to trade Helle if you don't start him in game 7.

You can keep him, sure... but how can the franchise keep going, knowing that the #1 goalie can't be counted on when the stakes are at their highest?

I'm sure they have already come to that conclusion lol.

 

[Macheteops]

Given his last 3 playoff performances - ABSOLUTLEY DREADFUL - would Edmonton even trade Skinner for him given that contract?

We will even throw in Pickard

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

Get this, we have posters in the EDM board who are pi**ed Skinner is not playing lol. Just stopped posting after game 4 and 2 Pickard wins. We have some special people on our board. At leats Helly has a good reg season resume to think he can step it back up.

I think those posters are just wishfully thinking. They think Skinner is the guy because he’s still very young for a goalie, and presumably has a lot of potential considering his size. Essentially they want to play him into reaching that potential. They believe him reaching that potential would solve the goalie issue in Edmonton for a long, long time, but I don’t see it at all. He was given too many chances.

 

[TheBeard]

I think you'd have to trade Helle if you don't start him in game 7.

You can keep him, sure... but how can the franchise keep going, knowing that the #1 goalie can't be counted on when the stakes are at their highest?

Who would even take him at this point?

 

[Jay26]

Luongo at least took a team to the SCF and to a Game 7.

Couple shutouts in the final too, despite melting down in the others.

 

[Guttersniped]

 

[Louie the Blue]

Couple shutouts in the final too, despite melting down in the others.

I don’t think Hellebyuck has even had a good game aside from Game 2.

I think tonight was his best road game (still not good) but the Jets left him out to dry more.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Game 6 is not Hellebuyck at all. Goal 3 was the only softie he should've had.

Goal 1: Blues player is literally ass-to-mask on Helle, plus it's a knuckle puck shot. No chance.
Goal 2. Blues player left completely alone in the paint by Jets defender watching the game.
Goal 3: Weak glove side sieve. Should've had that one.
Goal 4: Blues player in the paint while high Jets defender allows the uncontested shot which passes by three Jets defenders with no shot block attempt.
Goal 5: Lazy turnover made worse by being screened by own defensemen.

Verdict: Piss-poor defensive effort all night by Winnipeg, who let the Blues park in front of the crease all game. They're a skilled team regular season team that just isn't built for the grind of the postseason. Hellebuyck can only stop what he can see.

Aside from the fact what turned out to be the game winning goal is the weak one by your own admission, it's the fact he's supposed to be the best goalie in the league (at least in the regular season) so you'd expect him to be making big saves now and then.

So even if not all the goals were "weak", you'd expect the likely Vezina winner to be making saves on shots that league average goalies let in. That's kind of supposed to be the difference between an elite goalie and a random average goalie -- the ability to steal goals that would beat most goalies.

So even if not all the goals he's letting in are "weak", the fact the Blues are consistently scoring 3+ every night on him is an issue when he's supposed to be the difference maker in net.

 

[gn2007]

.810 sv 6.11 GAA Skinner says hello

Skinner will never ever be vezina caliber goalie lol.

As a vezina winner he is by far the worst holy hell

 

[TheDizee]

I don't want him anywhere near the starting net for the Olympics.

 

[tarheelhockey]

If Hellebuck was putting up a Luongo-esque performance, this series would have ended on Wednesday

The worst series of Luongo’s career, he posted a .879.

Hellebuyck has a .815 in this series.

Last year he had a .864.

The year before that he had a .886.

To put Hellebuyck’s current series in context, this thread asked the question of what was the biggest playoff series meltdown by a goalie, ever:

Thread 'Worst Playoff Series of All Time by a Goaltender?'

Aug 24, 2015

Building off of the "Worst goalies of all time" thread, what are some of the worst goaltending performances over a series in playoff history?

• Ace36758
• Replies: 86
• Forum: The History of Hockey

The first answer is Dan Cloutier’s famous stinker against Minnesota. He posted a .826 in that series.

Granted that overall save percentages vary with time, but a .815 is historically awful and especially in context of a Hart finalist in the first round behind a President’s Trophy winning team.

Edit: pardon me, his .822 was through five games. Updated to accurately show his mind-boggling .815.

 

[Sentinel]

Game 6 is not Hellebuyck at all. Goal 3 was the only softie he should've had.

Hellebuyck can only stop what he can see.

First of all, as goal #3 indicates, he doesn't always stop what he can see.
Second, that's what great goaltenders do: they find the way to stop things they can't see. The puck just hits them.

 

[Sombastate]

I honestly never thought i'd see a goalie with a worse performance than MAF against the Flyers in 2012. Absolutely bewildering that its even a conversation here. He may need to take the therapist route as well

 

[Blasto]

....soooooooo if the Blues don't win game 7, does that mean they couldn't beat the worst playoff goalie in NHL history?

 

[Folignos Helmet]

Hellebuyck seems like a stats goalie. In that he puts up great stats in the regular season in a well structured tight checking team and he is strong positionally.

He doesn’t strike me as the type of goalie who steals a lot of games with unbelievable performances which I think you need more of in the playoffs.

I don’t think it’s pressure. He was solid but not spectacular in the 4 nations.

 

[Ekiru]

People who use advanced stats probably watch games...

Or so youd hope...

 

[Johnny HFBOARDS]

Helly will be be Helly next game, the plasma power will flow smooth, book it!

 

[JKG33]

What are you talking about bro. I'll just chalk this up to you having a bad day.

You want the reality? GSAx or whatever its called doesn't mean shit. They try to arbitrarily make some shots worth more than others, but reality is thats impossible. Worthless stat that Hellebuyck just happens to milk

 

[JKG33]

Are you saying that during RS Helle did not look like a good goalie is games?

Yes. I've said it for years

 

[Plural]

Yes. I've said it for years

Fair enough.

 

[JKG33]

As a Canucks fan who wanted them to put Schneider in over Luongo in game 7 and still thinks they would have won the Cup if they did - the Jets coach needs to grow a pair and put Comrie in game 7. This could be the difference between another crushing loss or possibly a trip to to the finals. Sometimes you gotta just try something different and not worry about hurting feelings.

Luongo was nowhere near as bad as Hellebuyck, and Schneider was the next big thing while Comrie is a dime a dozen backup.

I agree they should start Comrie, but thats not the comparison to make