Hellebucyk is off to another great year. Probably leading in Vezina contention at this point. He gets shit on for the playoffs, but I think it can largely be chalked up to team defense.
I'm sure Farkas can be more eloquent and detailed. But I do firmly believe he's actually that good.
Detailed? Maybe.
Eloquent? I, uh, the thing...uhh...I don't...bel...umm...nah.
Let's take a look at a sample together...
0:27 - It's a nice shot to the corner. This might be unpopular, but ideally that's a save. Ideally, everything is a save, of course. He's down here, and that's sort of his thing. I initially thought he was a little off his angle, but maybe not. He plays the percentages and loses. Winnipeg thinks they can change their D, and they lose. Tough break. Is it a "bad" goal? Nah. But it's not impossible to stay up there.
2:25 - Pretty clear debacle here. Logan Stanley is in the league for height and draft capital purposes only and Dylan Samberg isn't strong enough to carry him. Those two combine to ruin Hellebuyck's life here. That's not on him.
2:57 - I don't think Dylan DeMelo gets enough discredit for his defensive game. It's come leaps and bounds and I still don't like it. That said...make a save, Buck-a-roo.
6:45 - Tipped in front of him, not much you can do there. Dylan DeMelo doesn't have a stick. Ideally, Hellebuyck fights for ice at the top of the paint there. Even if he initiates contact, he's likely gonna draw an interference wash out. One of the things with how goalies express themselves when they aren't confident...(not) taking ice is a common one. Let's see if it holds...
8:26 - Yeah, very next goal. This is a calamity...but come on, dude, you're sitting on the goalline almost and Makar has it at the point. Take. Your. Ice. You know who has it, you know how he shoots...you're just not feeling it right now and this is the kind of stuff that happens if your mental game starts to spiral.
9:06 - Not quite a garbage time goal. I mean, it hits Brenden Dillon in the nameplate and goes in. Neal Pionk is a zilch defensively. He tries to foul COL62 and can't even do that right.
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Let's see how he lost the series...
2:00 - All right, so hold on...no speed over the puck or behind it. It's 3 on 3 at the line. This shouldn't be so bad, how are they gonna blow this?
WPG22 is gonna "chip" (to use a football term) Nathan MacKinnon. Good idea, but only if it doesn't cost you puck. But it does. So, now Rantanen is sort of alone, facing the middle of the rink. Then WPG62 over-compensates for Rantanen being loose - but like...don't. He's standing in the corner of the offensive zone and WPG22 is gonna address him on his own time. Just don't let them flip the ice on you...make them put it behind or, even better, put it on net from a mile away.
Rantanen hits the 4th man. Now, I can't see a number there...but I'd bet a dollar that a player with that one-touch playmaking must be Makar. That seam pass...there's just no recovering from that. Morrissey is pinned back by MacKinnon, so he can't do much. He could have thrown his body into it into desperation, but I rarely support that kind of thing in first place. Hellebuyck is powerless to stop this, as Winnipeg is playing beer league defense here.
3:41 - Neal Pionk, you can take the player out of Minnesota high school hockey, but...
They score from the top of the crease to the far top corner. Hellebuyck would have to be one of those nonsense factory goalies to have a chance at this...a good goalie gives this up every time basically. Most bad goalies do too.
4:38 - Neal Pionk dunks it right in his own net. They weren't gonna defend **** on that play anyhow, but it's a particularly hilarious way to fall behind.
7:05 - Tipped going against the flow. Tough break. Nuke is near the puddle, but he's not alone. So taking more ice wouldn't have likely done anything there but get him tied up. He can't see a thing here.
8:22 - I assume that's the first 2 on 1 that DeMelo has ever faced based on that attempt. Between that and a cone, give me the cone every time. Hellebuyck is all over this and if it's anyone else but 29 and 96, he has a better shot than you think to make a save. I mean, the read, most of the timing, the pad seals right to the post, telescopic blocker but still under control. You have to respect MacKinnon as a shooter though, he shoots constantly. CH did all he could. Which is the exact opposite of what Dylan DeMelo gave.
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One more? 2023 elimination game vs. Vegas...
0:23 - I don't even have to say anything, right? Neal Pionk plays defense like he's constantly living under power lines. This is kinda how Erik Karlsson plays defense in these situations, except EK has 10x the hand-eye. No chance for the Buckster.
0:57 - Sort of a bang bang scenario. Stone is shooting from the slot. Hellebuyck prioritizes having his feet set, so he probably isn't thrilled with his depth here. There's traffic coming through too, not sure if that got in his vision. It's probably stoppable, but it's also not one that I'd look to and go, "goalie's gotta have it" by any means.
1:13 - I mean, your choice. Overload one side and build a wall with your two D and have the center cover your backside. Or have the center support puck side and slot. Not neither. No chance for Hellebuyck with that peewee defense there.
1:49 - Dylan DeMelo is attacking the bumper from high on the power play...I mean, ok...that's fascinating. Tough to tell on these angles, but I think this is going short side high maybe and then the stick of DeMelo mutes it low and not short side. It's tough when you're reading shots and they go a different way. I'd like to see this from behind CH to be more sure of this one...but this is an A+ scoring chance no matter how you slice it. If your thought is "A+ chances aren't on the goalie", then you don't need any other angles.
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So, yeah, in this sample...it's a lot of more or less impossible situations for Hellebuyck
