Trailing 3-1 in the third period of Sunday`s Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, the Presidents` Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets appeared headed for a third straight first-round elimination.
However, a remarkable comeback, culminating in Adam Lowry`s decisive tip-in goal in double overtime, allowed the Winnipeg faithful to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Perhaps no one experienced that relief more acutely than goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
“At this point, the pressure has somewhat dissipated. The weight of the world is off my shoulders,” Hellebuyck stated on Tuesday. He added, “And that has nothing to do with anyone else; it`s purely the mental strain of that series. That being said, in that moment, it felt like a second chance for me.”
The two-time Vezina Trophy winner is in his tenth season with the Jets and making his seventh playoff appearance. However, after reaching the Western Conference Final in Hellebuyck`s initial postseason run, the team hasn`t managed to replicate that level of success.