Connor Hellebuyck's Vezina Trophy nomination can't hide recent playoff nightmares

There is no better regular season goaltender in the NHL than Connor Hellebuyck. The 31-year-old won last season's Vezina Trophy and was named one of the three finalists to win the award for the 2024-25 campaign. Based on the fact that he led qualified goaltenders in wins (47), shutouts (8), goals against average (2.00), and goals saved above expected (41.6), he's probably the favorite to come away with the award again, and deservingly so.

The odds of him winning the Hart Trophy are slim, but they shouldn't be none, with how outstanding he was. Hellebuyck's goaltending helped lead the Winnipeg Jets to a magical season. At 56-22-4, the Jets had 116 points in the regular season, good enough to not only win the Central Division, but good enough to win the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's leader in points.

Hellebuyck's goaltending helped lead the Winnipeg Jets to a magical season. At 56-22-4, the Jets had 116 points in the regular season, good enough to not only win the Central Division, but good enough to win the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's leader in points.

With the Jets having as good of a season as they've had, they were considered one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup with Hellebuyck's dominance in mind.

Unfortunately, as has alarmingly become the norm for Hellebuyck, he has not been the same guy under playoff pressure. Hellebuyck's playoff struggles are so evident to the point where it's hard to celebrate how good he is in the regular season, thanks to how underwhelming he's been when the games really count.

Connor Hellebuyck's playoff struggles overshadow his regular season dominance

After taking a 2-0 series lead against a St. Louis Blues team that was among the last to clinch a playoff spot, the series is now squared at two games apiece with the teams heading back to Winnipeg for a crucial Game 5. Winnipeg's offense has underwhelmed for the most part, but Hellebuyck struggled in each of the Jets' last two games to the point where he was pulled early in each contest. Hellebuyck allowed six goals on 25 shots in Game 3 of the series and five goals on 18 shots in Game 4. He essentially gave the Jets no chance to win either game.

Two games is a microscopic sample size, but again, this has become the norm for Hellebuyck in recent years.

Last season, Hellebuyck allowed four or more goals in all five of Winnipeg's postseason games and posted an .864 save percentage. The task was tough against a high-powered Colorado Avalanche team, but that kind of performance, especially from the Vezina winner, is inexcusable. The postseason prior saw Hellebuyck allow three or more goals in four of the five games Winnipeg played against the Vegas Golden Knights. He had an .886 save percentage in that series.

It's not as if Hellebuyck has gotten unlucky. He has been the worst goaltender in the NHL by far in terms of goals saved above expected, and he has done so in rather limited action with only 14 games under his belt in that span.

Again, in the regular season, there's nobody better than Hellebuyck. His regular season play certainly matters, but Jets fans really want to see him perform like he has in the regular season when the pressure is on. Regular season success only means so much at the end of the day if he cannot contribute positively in the playoffs. All Jets fans can do is hope something clicks sooner rather than later for Hellebuyck in the playoffs. When he's at his best, this Jets team, especially with home-ice advantage, is tough to beat.