The Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens took similar paths to their second-round series that begins Wednesday night in Winnipeg.
The Jets, beating the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers in four games, shocking many. The Canadiens, once down 3-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, storming back to take the series in seven games, also shocking many.
Two first-round upsets and now a series between the third and fourth seeds in the North Division. On the line: a ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs final four.
"Our two teams have different styles, but both teams have the same mindset: we'll give nothing easily," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "They didn't feed into Toronto. We didn't feed into Edmonton. They just come out and played their butts off and got a similar result."
“They're a good hockey team. They're solid up front. They have lines that can deliver offense and energy,… said Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme. “They have good variety on defense and a good goaltender too. It will be a good challenge. We'll be ready when the series starts.…
The Canadiens are a much, much different hockey team than the Oilers. Nobody on the Canadiens roster comes close to bringing the offensive firepower that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl did. The Canadiens are built from the net out, winning games on the back of Carey Price, and a solid team defense in front of him.
Wednesday will be the Jets first game in nine days. The Canadiens have played four times since the Jets last played. One team well-rested, the other one locked into their game and playoff hockey.
"There would be advantages or disadvantages in either situation. And it all depends on what happens in the series. So, if you got rest then you’re rested and you’ve got lots of energy to push through a seven-game series if that’s what comes up between Winnipeg and Montreal, we should have good legs for that,… said Maurice.
“And if you’ve come off a seven-game series and you’ve won, you’ve dialed right into your game. You know, especially with the way the last three games went for Montreal, they’re on their A game right now. So, they get to stay in that rhythm.…
So how do the Jets come into the second-round, shake off the rust and slow down the momentum of the Canadiens: it starts with winning the goalie battle.
It might end there, too.
Regardless of how this series, and any other play out, Connor Hellebuyck vs. Carey Price may be the best goalie matchup we see in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
While the Jets vs. Canadiens is the main event, the goalie matchup is certainly the most exciting option on the undercard.
“Two of the best in the game. Carey Price is probably the top goalie of my generation. He’s shown the ability to steal big games, steal big moments. Had a big part in their last series, too. Nothing but respect for what he’s done,… said captain Blake Wheeler.
“Obviously we think very highly of [Hellebuyck] and the accomplishments he’s had in the couple years in the league.…
Hellebuyck won’t be shooting on Price and vice versa obviously, but this series very well could come down to which of the two goalies makes the bigger saves in the bigger moments.
Don’t expect many goals in this series.
“You look at the net and you look at the holes to shoot at and you don’t see much. You’re just kind of shooting and hoping it goes in, hoping the puck finds a hole,… said Pierre-Luc Dubois.
“Goalies like that are hard to play against but you have to keep shooting. Your confidence can’t go down because you’re not scoring.…
The Jets did well against Price in the regular season as Price finished the season with a .903 save percentage and a 3.01 goals-against average in four games against the Jets.
Hellebuyck appeared in all nine games against Montreal, finishing with a .916 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average.
Of the 16 teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Jets (27.58) and the Canadiens (27.23) rank 13th and 15th respectively in shots for per 60-minutes.
If things play out the way we expect it to, it’s going to be a series of the two goalies matching big saves on each end of the ice.
Hockey’s version of the game horse, or even, a case of “anything you can do, I can do better.…
Both Price at age 33 and Hellebuyck at 28 have impressive resumes that include Vezina trophies and a vault of highlight reel saves.
"[Hellebuyck] is a very intense guy. He finds intensity in all different ways. I know that Helly has a singular goal and that's to try and win and win hockey games,… said Josh Morrissey.
“I expect that, obviously being that it's Carey Price with his resume or somebody else, he's going to try and bring his best game and do so to try and help us win."
Maurice and the Jets know you’re rarely going to beat Price cleanly. It’s going to take dirty goals, tips and traffic in his face to gets pucks past Price.
“It will be chaos and confusion,… Maurice said. “And creating the ability to not let them see the puck when it gets released from the stick.…
In a series like this, with these two goalies, every shot and every save matters.