OverDrive - Sawyer on the Blues capitalizing against the Jets, Hellebuyck's glaring struggles and the confidence for redemption

Episode Date: April 28, 2025

TSN Winnipeg Jets Commentator Kevin Sawyer joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Jets, Connor Hellebuyck's struggles in St. Louis and the priority to bounce back, how the team can find offensive character, the identity of the group for redemption and more.

Tim's smile cookie is here and every bite makes your community every bite better Because 100% of proceeds are donated to local charities and community groups head to Tim's for smile cookies from April 28 to May 4th Here's a guy's very familiar with that Winnipeg Jets commentator. Here's Kevin Sawyer joining us here on overdrive Kevin What do you make a hella buck? I a coming how do you put this in a perspective the fact that he's been pulled back to back games and now i'm sure a lot of people in winnipeg boston about his playoff history the last few years in general

it is hard to describe and and the reason i say that is you know and good it is been all season long, this year, his team in front of him has been rock solid. So there was games that he stole, but he didn't have to steal games very often. And his team in front of him at times would break down. And when they did, they're used to him making that save to bail them out. So the second goal against in game number four, he makes that save ten times out of ten. To me, yeah was there a bit of a screen? Yeah, Tanev doesn't block the shot. That's the same he normally makes. So I think

that the team lost confidence because it's unfamiliar territory that Connor Hellebuck underperforms. And we're not talking about one goal here, we're talking about 12 goals in the last two games. So hard to explain. What I can tell you is I'm really happy to hear the comments that Hellebuck made today. He said he needs to be better. Not often does he say that.

It's the truth. And I think that takes pressure off of him and his team. It's the truth, everybody knows it. So he owned that. And then he went on to say, I will be better. It's a confident dude. At times I used to think when he was younger, he might be a little arrogant. It wasn't arrogant, it was just a deep belief.

He's got that and he's going to have to use that because he knows more than anybody else. He hasn't been close to the level that he needs to be. So Kevin, what do you see? I mean, you and I worked a panel yesterday. Is there some magic potion to go, okay, the goalie starts making saves and the team help out? Like, if you start with one thing, it just says, okay, the goalie needs to play better. Where does it go from there?

I mean, what have you seen outside of him just giving you the big save at the right time? The neutral zone for me is where this series is being won. I give a ton of credit to Jim Montgomery. He has not only game planned properly against Winnipeg and here's what I'm seeing. The Winnipeg Jets have been the winning team the most winning team because of some of their parts. They're not really Studs in any one area, but because they play such a good team game They were the best but if you look at their skill Kyle Ponder Cole Perfetti He was isn't in but when he is Vlad domestic off, they're not big. They're not big

So you've got to get on the body and it's clear to me that Jim Montgomery and the St. Louis Blues have Bargain, did that we saw what they did to Mark Shifey last game. Well, you can't hit, you can't finish, you can't forecheck if you don't control the neutral zone. That's what the Blues have been able to do for, oh, I would say nine of the 12 periods played in this series so far. And when the Jets, game one, first, or game four, first period, they shut St. Louis down. That was a good adjustment from Scott O'Neill. And then Jim Montgomery goes in to the first intermission, he readjusts and they find a different way to get through the neutral zone, to chip and smother, whether it's chipping, piling them through the boards

or win the battle down below the hash marks. The Blues are finding different ways to get through the neutral zone and keep the puck in the offensive zone. It's taking the speed out of the game for Winnipeg and it is forcing the Winnipeg Jets to have to spend extra time in their zone which they're not used to doing. Guys, I just want to go back to Hellebuck. You guys are both on the panel. What could it be about a playoff style hockey? Is it pace?

Is it simply nerves where a guy could be so dominant during the regular season and now two playoffs in a row, his level of play is being questioned. Like is it a pre-skelt by St. Louis where they know where to shoot the puck? What the hell are we talking about here because this is the second year in a row where you're like best goalie in the world by far and then it's like what have we got here how could the playoffs change things so so much I noodles you you're the pro I'm stumbled or I'm confused to some degree I'm not seeing any one area that that Hellebuck is breaking down and it's uncharacteristic so goal number number three, Shen, he goes to the net. Yeah. He got to the middle of the ice way too easy, but Hellebuck normally would just challenge that shot. Instead he kind of panicked in my opinion.

He throws the paddle down and get what he's trying to do. And he gives the top of the net away. Shen's good enough to make that play in tight shots from range from the point we're seeing the blues shoot from everywhere. Why wouldn't you? I can't explain why the best going on the planet is looking like playing tight shots from range from the point we're seeing the blues shoot from everywhere. Why wouldn't you? I can't explain why the best going on the planet is looking like he's at times guessing a little bit. Um, it's shots from everywhere in tight from range.

Yeah, there's been some tips off of Pionk's back. Nothing you can do there, but pressure is real and, and nobody is exempt from that. And Connor Hellebuck knows as much as more than anybody else that his numbers have been overwhelmingly good in the regular season and the opposite is true lately in the postseason that that factors in that that's in your head and he's carrying that the only way to make that go away is to get results I just wonder a little bit about the pressure and some new types of pressure that Connor Hellebuck has to deal with well so if you if you want to like, I'll be quick with this, but like you look at game one,

he gets beat three times, they win. I thought he was a bit deep and tentative. So what do you do to game two? I thought he was more aggressive and he did take a step towards the puck. Games three and four, he looked tentative and I thought they exposed his lack of lateral movement. Now he's a big guy who sets himself and then when he sets himself he expects everybody, I've got the shot, you got everything around.

The prime example I could point out to in yesterday's game was goal number five. Yes, we can throw shade at Kyle Conner for turning the puck over in the offensive zone and then getting beat up the ice. But if you actually look what Robert Thomas does, throw shade at Kyle Conner for turning the puck over in the offensive zone and then getting beat up the ice. But if you actually look what Robert Thomas does, he dekes to his backhand. Hellebuck just goes down. He doesn't adjust to it. He doesn't push into it.

He doesn't try and desperately throw himself at it. He goes, hey, I'm going to get walked around here. I go down. I've got my angle. I'll need Pionk or somebody else to help with the process. To me, I think he needs to really dig in on plays. And it's not about style points, it's about being desperate of making these saves. And that's the only thing I've noticed differently with Hellebuck is that maybe his lack of athleticism

sometimes is getting exposed on plays where there's lots of motion and tight. Yeah well that's I mean if that's the case then it's not gonna get you know every team's gonna try to apply the same game plan. You're right but again that it's up to their D like they play a certain way in front of him and if they play to that structure then it goes hand-in-hand like he's a great goaltender in a lot of different facets. You just see when there's these breakdowns, he's getting opened up. Yeah, it's a goofy transition no matter how you slice it to say, Vezna, possibly Hart, and now we're talking about lateral movement being an issue. It's just that it almost doesn't make sense.

It's terrifying, man. Yeah. It's terrifying. I'll tell you this, guys. Like the one thing that isn't going to change is this game plan. Whether it's the St. Louis Blues and if the Jets can continue deep into the playoffs this is what's coming at them and I think teams that had success against this when a big Jets group in the post in the regular season or the teams that kept it simple and Put the puck behind the D and just simply tried to be physical physical them and that's what's happening

So get used to this because this is not going to change you're playing out against a team that's Not overly big not overly imposing and you know what we haven't talked yet about Mark Shifely But if they're gonna hold this thing back They need Mark Shifely who I think is the most important player above Connor Hellebuck to find a way to get back in the fight You're gonna get hit, but are you gonna hit back and that's to me what they have to prove next get hit but are you going to hit back? And that's to me what they have to prove next. Well, it's 2-2 and Game 5 coming back to Winnipeg. It's going to be something on Wednesday night.

He is Kevin Sawyer. I really appreciate you doing this, Kevin. Enjoy the rest of the series. We'll do it again soon. Right on. Thanks for having me, guys. Appreciate it. You got it.

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