With nearly 500 career assists to his name, when Paul Stastny skated down the right wing in overtime of a scoreless Game 2 Friday night, most were thinking pass.
But as Andrew Copp glided down behind the goal line, Stastny’s options for a pass were minimal. Instead, he decided to put a puck on net and hope for the best.
In doing so, he gave the Jets a 1-0 overtime victory and a 2-0 series lead heading back to Winnipeg for Game 3 Sunday night.
“At first I was going to try and look for (Copp) but he just slashed across. So I figured I'd try to use the D as a screen, and just put the puck on net,” said Stastny. “I feel like in overtime, whether you're trying to score or whether you're trying to generate offense, sometimes that's the easiest way to do it. The puck had eyes and fortunately it went in.”
Stastny and the Jets were in a position to earn a win with a single shot on goal thanks to another stellar performance by goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
"He's the reason we have a chance. He's the reason we are a playoff team and the reason we have confidence every time we go out there,” captain Blake Wheeler said of Hellebuyck. “You can't say enough about having a guy you believe is going to stop every shot.”
Hellebuyck has been downright silly through two games, stopping 70 of 71 shots. Among those 71 shots, he’s seen 21 high-danger shots again, stopping 20 of those.
Only Philip Grubauer of the Colorado Avalanche (19-for-19) has a better high-danger save percentage in the playoffs among goalies with more than one appearance.
"It’s such a great confidence boost for the group where you don’t feel like you have to play perfect hockey,” added Wheeler.
“I think that’s probably what he would say, that it’s his job to clean up our mistake. It just gives guys so much confidence to go out there and play with a little bit more freedom, a little bit more confidence knowing that if I make the wrong play at the wrong time, I got a guy back there that can bail me out."
Coming into the series, it was no secret that Hellebuyck gave the Jets their best chance at a series win. The most impressive thing that Hellebuyck has done through two games been his ability to keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet. The Oilers dynamic duo has combined for 15 shots through two games.
It’s only the second time this season McDavid has gone consecutive games without a point, third time for Draisaitl.
“We’re just playing them really hard. We’re not giving them easy offense. It is just a total buy-in right now from our guys and you know, those two world class players, they’re still getting some looks, but as they are, (Hellebuyck) has done a great job of handling those,” said Dylan DeMelo who saw 14:06 of five-on-five ice time against Draisaitl in Game 2, 12:28 against McDavid.
“It’s great, we’ve done a great job. But it is only two games and we’ve got a long series to go here. It’s going to take an effort like that, if not even more.”
As big as some of Hellebuyck’s saves were, DeMelo may have had the biggest. With the Jets facing a third period penalty kill, McDavid had a wide open net and an opportunity at giving the Oilers the 1-0 lead.
Lying on his back, DeMelo threw both arms straight in the air, hoping to cause any disruption to the puck’s path he could. The rubber struck his right arm, staying out of the net.
“Honestly, it was just pure chaos and desperation. I just remember going down and I saw the puck go to McDavid,” said DeMelo. “I was on my back, so I have to throw something up, but I was on my back so I was thinking maybe I’ll two-pad stack it, but I don’t think I had the extension. I just put my hands up and luckily it hit me.”
A little bit of luck has been on the Jets side in the series, and a lot of Hellebuyck.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger • 
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