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Hellebuyck on Jets: 'Character is in this room'

Connor Hellebuyck Connor Hellebuyck - The Canadian Press
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The Winnipeg Jets bounced back from two straight defeats Monday to hand the St. Louis Blues their first loss of the season.

Connor Hellebuyck starred as the Jets shut out the Blues in a convincing 4-0 victory.

"We needed everyone tonight, and we played a full 60 (minutes)," Hellebuyck said after the win. "Character is in this room, and now we know the game plan that we need. … This game wasn't going to be won off of a couple sweet plays. It was going to be won in the corners and making sure they got nothing."

Hellebuyck made 25 saves for his first shutout of the season, bouncing back from three straight starts with a save percentage below his career average of .916.

“He’s the heart and soul here,” forward Mark Scheifele said of the team's netminder. “He’s a guy that stands on his head all night. He made all the saves he needed to. He was fantastic again tonight.”

The Jets are off to a 3-3 start this season after an off-season that included Rick Bowness taking over as the team's head coach and Blake Wheeler being stripped of the team's captaincy.

 

Jets' Bowness sidelined

Winnipeg was without Bowness once again for Monday's game, with the head coach resting following his recent bout with COVID-19.

Bowness made his debut behind the bench with the Jets on Saturday, but experienced dizzy spells earlier on Monday and was forced to cut his press conference short. Associate coach Scott Arniel assumed head coaching duties for the fifth time this year in the win.

“I’m sure (Bowness) was happy watching that one,” Scheifele said. “Hopefully, that picks his spirits up. You just hope and pray for him to feel better and better. That’s really all we can do. Obviously, our trainers and doctors are on it to make sure he comes out of this thing healthy and stronger. All we can do is pray for him.”

The Jets have two days off before returning to the ice Thursday on the road against the Los Angeles Kings.