‘Incredible’ Connor Hellebuyck not letting NHL playoff woes get to him

MILAN — Having played between the pipes for the Winnipeg Jets in seven of the past eight NHL postseasons, goalie Connor Hellebuyck has seen his fair share of big moments.

Not the kind with a Stanley Cup on the line, but the ones that are a byproduct of circumstances.

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The Jets have failed to make it out of the first round — or qualifier — in four of those aforementioned playoff runs, and Hellebuyck has assumed a significant portion of the blame as the franchise’s longtime No. 1 netminder.

Hellebuyck has a shocking 1-9 record in his past 10 road playoff games dating back to 2021. His .917 save percentage from 2022 through this current NHL regular season leads the NHL, but it dropped to .872 in the postseason over that span.

One of the more recent lasting images of Hellebuyck is from Game 6 of the Jets’ first-round playoff series against the Blues last year.

He had already been pulled in Game 4, and after giving up five goals on 23 shots across 40 minutes of play — including four goals in 5:23 — Hellebuyck was on the bench at the start of the third.

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In the NHL, Hellebuyck hasn’t been able to rise to the occasion.

Since rejoining international play, however, the Michigan native has left little doubt as to who the top American goaltender is. Team USA will need that to continue if it is going to top Canada for a gold medal Sunday.

Asked about his confidence level five games into his first Olympic tournament — during which he stopped 90 of the 95 shots he faced — Hellebuyck’s usual stoic demeanor completely changed.

“Oh, all-time high,” he said, cracking a smile for the first time in the scrum with reporters after his 22-save performance against Slovakia on Friday night….