Reviewing Jets Players’ 4 Nations Face-Off Performances

It seems Connor is underrated even by his own coaches in best-on-best games. The right winger, who is on pace to be the first player in Jets 2.0 history to record 100 points in a season, should use the scratch as motivation going forward to hit triple digits.

Connor Hellebuyck

Hellebuyck was excellent between USA’s pipes, but suffered the hard-luck Final loss in overtime when his teammates inexplicably left Connor McDavid, of all people, wide open in the slot to rip home the winner.

Hellebuyck, who is heavy favourite to win his third Vezina Trophy and could even win the Hart Trophy as well this season, started three of USA’s four games, posting a 2-1-0 record, 1.59 goals against average, and .932 Save Percentage. He couldn’t have done anything more to give his side a chance to win the tournament than he did.

Josh Morrissey

Morrissey played a big role on head coach Jon Cooper’s Canadian blue line, especially in their round-robin game against the USA when Cale Makar was out with illness. Unfortunately, Morrissey got sick as well and was a late scratch for the Final. It was tough to see him not be able to play in the game, and even tougher to see he was not well enough to join the post-game on-ice celebration or accept his medal.

The Jets’ top-pairing blue liner, who has 46 points in 56 games this season and is in the thick of the Norris Trophy conversation again, was held off the scoresheet in three games but did post a plus-1 rating, record three shots, and average 21:32 in ice time. Against the USA with Makar out, he led all Canadian defensemen in ice time with 22:08.

Connor, Hellebuyck, Morrissey Return to Task At Hand

Now that the 4 Nations is all said and done, the trio of Jets representatives, along with the rest of their teammates, can return to the task at hand: continuing to dominate.

The Jets are the NHL’s best team coming out of the 4 Nations break with a 39-14-3 record and 81 points through 56 games, and with 26 contests to go, control their own destiny to not only finish first in the Central Division, but also first in the Western Conference. Finishing first in the latter would snag them the most-favourable first-round playoff matchup against the second wild-card team.

They are currently riding an eight-game winning streak and have a chance to extend it to a 2.0 record nine in a row on Saturday in St. Louis against the Blues. Captain Adam Lowry is set to return after missing all eight of those games with an upper-body injury.

Head coach Scott Arniel said he may elect to give Connor, Morrissey, and Hellebuyck that game off to rest. Considering Connor didn’t play in the Final, it now seems possible he’ll play after all. It’s likely Eric Comrie will get the start so Hellebuyck can relax until Monday and that Morrissey will sit so he can recover from his illness. The last thing the Jets need for the start of the stretch run is for a sickness to sweep through their room.