Connor Hellebuyck is Gandalf and other things we learned from Preds, Jets Game 1

The Winnipeg Jets took Game 1 against the Nashville Predators in Round 2 on Friday night. Check below to find out what we learned from this one.

Game 1 between the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators has come and gone, and we feel that we actually learned quite a bit already. The Jets struck early and often en route to a 3-0 lead before finishing it off 4-1, but the Preds gave them all they could handle throughout. It just so happened that one man was beyond dominate. The other found himself hanging like wet laundry. Let’s dive in to this one and see what we found before moving on to Game 2.

Three takeaways from Game 1

1. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is almost assuredly a Lord of the Rings fan.

After doing his best “You shall not pass” imitation for nine straight periods, Hellebuyck finally surrendered a goal in the third. But that isn’t going to taint another otherworldly performance from the current Vezina Trophy candidate. He stopped 46 of 47, and we have no words for that craziness. He could be dueling fairly soon for the Conn Smythe.

We came into this matchup highlighting the Hellebuyck and Pekka Rinne duel in net and how both would need to be masterful to lead their team beyond Round 2. Connor held up his end of the bargain. If he continues to play this well, Winnipeg has a great shot at knocking off the number one seeded Preds.

2. Nashville continues to have problems early.

The Predators struggled to begin games against the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1. It took them six to close it out, mostly because they couldn’t find a consistent push until late in contests. The same story goes for this one against Winnipeg. While Nashville dominated the third period and put up an insane 47 shots on goal, they can’t continue to fall behind to a team as talented as the Jets. The Preds got away with it against Colorado, but that won’t fly in Round 2.

Just as well, their defense has to be better. Rinne didn’t have his best effort, allowing three goals on 16 shots, but his team left him out to dry too often. On the first Winnipeg score, Nashville had at least four or five opportunities to move the puck beyond the neutral zone, only to continuously take swipe after swipe at it until it ended up in the back of its net. The second goal was far too much standing around. As in the Avalanche series, Smashville seemed to have a big issue with the Winnipeg speed.

3. Winnipeg has a lot of guys who can contribute.

That should worry Nashville. Eight Jets scored at least one point. That includes their top three of Mark Scheifele (two goals), Patrik Laine and Blake Wheeler. They also have Nikolaj Ehlers and Paul Stastny. Those final two put up points as well. Both of them also had great numbers in the regular season. This goes back to Nashville having to start games a lot quicker, at least in terms of scoring to give themselves a lead.

The same, though, can be said for the Jets. They cannot allow nearly 50 shots on goal in many more contests and expect to keep winning. Even with Hellebuyck standing on his head. It’s going to crack eventually. Nashville simply has too much firepower for that.

Next: Game 2 is on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Next: 10 reasons Stanley Cup Playoffs are better than NBA Playoffs

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