Connor Hellebuyck was staring his nightmare in the face.
The Winnipeg Jets goalie, the best netminder on the planet during the regular season, had found the yips in the playoffs.
In each of the Jets’ first three road playoff games, Hellebuyck had been pulled.
And at home in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, Hellebuyck allowed two goals in the first seven and a half minutes.
From there, it was just one goal the rest of the way.
“He’s unbelievable,” Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry told TNT after the game. “… There’s a lot of questions about previous years, but it’s a team effort. He gets the criticism, but there’s usually three or four plays that lead to that. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
The Jets rallied, forcing OT with just 1.6 seconds to go.
And in double overtime, Winnipeg scored the sudden-death winner to advance and play Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals.
MORE: Jets’ miracle goal saves Winnipeg’s season at end of regulation
Hellebuyck, who earlier this series looked like he couldn’t stop anything, stayed sturdy throughout.
The broadcasters discussed his performance: “What resilience by Hellebuyck!”
They were right.
Goalies are most often noticed when they do something wrong.
On this night, Hellebuyck deserves recognition for doing something wrong, twice, quickly and then finding the resolve to rebound and help his team win.
Sports remain the best, and Hellebuyck got to ride the despair to ecstasy elevator in the right direction.
The Jets are moving on, with their all-world goaltender back in form. Playoff hockey delivered again.
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