Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t going to play in Winnipeg on Tuesday, which left the warmups as the only part of the evening the Canada Life Centre crowd could actually use. They found a way.
Every time a New Jersey Devils player beat him during the warmup, the building erupted as though it were a playoff goal.
His teammates worked out what was happening and adjusted.
What followed was, in the words of one reporter in the building, some of the softest warmup shots that arena has ever seen. Devils skaters started lobbing what one observer called absolute muffins at their own goaltender, deliberately making certain he would save them.
A couple still went in. The place went up both times.
Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre:
| Final score | Jets’ lead after one | Allen’s saves | Daws’ saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-2 | 2-0 | 21 | 19 |
Why did the Devils take soft shots in warmups?
New Jersey had already decided Hellebuyck wouldn’t start, which meant the only thing the building could get out of him was a puck in the net during a meaningless skate. His teammates set out to deny them even that, on the basis that a goaltender who stops everything in a warmup gives a hostile crowd nothing at all to work with.
It didn’t work especially well, but the thought counted for something.
The rest of the warmup went about as expected. Supporters had a “Where is Connor?” chant going within twenty seconds of the doors opening, “Helle sucks” followed, and one sign read: “Hellebuyck usually waits for playoffs to disappear.”
Jets coach Scott Arniel thought the noise carried over.
“It’s not too often the building is rocking in warm-up and right from the drop of the puck,” Arniel said.
Nico Daws, who came to Winnipeg in the Hellebuyck trade and made 19 saves for his first win as a Jet, had never experienced anything like it.
“It was loud tonight. Warm-ups were crazy,” Daws said.
Jake Allen started instead and stopped 21 shots in a 4-2 defeat. Winnipeg led 2-0 before the game was ten minutes old.
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