Winnipeg's Vezina Trophy winning backstop Connor Hellebuyck will face off against his former backup, Laurent Brossoit in an exciting new twist to an opening round series that will likely stir up some painful memories.
Having jumped out to a 1-0 series lead over this same Vegas team in the 2018 Western Conference Final, the Jets dropped four-straight games and were eliminated by Nate Schmidt and the Golden Knights, en route to the franchise's first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Winnipeg really hasn't been back since.
It was a first round exit at the hands of the St. Louis Blues in 2019, followed by a qualifying round loss to Calgary in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Jets did manage an opening round sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in 2021, before being handed a sweep of their own from the Montreal Canadiens. The postseason was not in the cards in 2022, so a return to action against an all-too-familiar opponent makes for a number of exciting narratives.
Take the Hellebuyck vs. Brossoit matchup for instance. Sure, neither goaltender will say just how much it would mean to them to beat the other, but they are certainly both thinking about it. Probably non-stop.
“We’re playing Winnipeg, right? I’m sure you guys will have fun with that,” Brossoit laughed when speaking to the media in Vegas. “I don’t really care who is on the other side. My game is feeling good and I’ve got a book on a few of them, so hopefully that helps.”
Brossoit, who served as Hellebuyck's understudy for three full years in Manitoba, had his 2022-23 season derailed by injury, to which he rebounded well following a stint in the minors.
“He had that injury and that was tough," Hellebuyck said of his old running mate. "I know he is feeling good about his game and we are going to have to bring our game."
The Golden Knights actually used five different goaltenders this season, before Brossoit took over the reins in the final stretch.
Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who missed the final game of the season following an injury suffered on an interference play by Ryan Hartman, has declared himself ready to play in Game 1.
“I’m good to go," he said.
But what he won't declare is his bag of tricks for use on his old pal, Brossoit.
“I’m not telling you guys any secrets," Ehlers added with a grin.
"LB is a great goalie, and he’s shown that when he was here. That’s not a secret. That he’s come up from the 'A' and done as well as he has, it’s not a huge surprise. A lot of guys in here have played with him, against him. So, we will be sharing our secrets, in here. But we’ve got to beat more than just him. It will be a fun series.”
With Ehlers not skating on Saturday, Jets head coach Rick Bowness did mention he would likely wear a non-contact jersey in the team's next skate, before making an official ruling on his status.
In Vegas, long-term injured forward Mark Stone has shed his non-contact sweater and looks to be good to go for the opening round.
With both home games now sold out and ticket sales opening for the Whiteout Street Parties on Monday, Canada Life Centre will soon become a hostile environment for the visiting Golden Knights.
But the first order of business is two games on the road for Winnipeg.
Having played Vegas twice in October and once in December, the Jets really haven't seen the current Golden Knights roster. Winnipeg did lose all three games, but as Hellebuyck points out, the postseason is a whole different animal.
"Playoffs, it just brings out a new level of adrenaline," the Jets' netminder said. "Details are so important. Mess-ups are amplified. I am very confident in myself.”
It all gets going on Tuesday, as Winnipeg travels to Vegas for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 PM central time from T-Mobile Arena. Fans in Canada can watch the game live on Sportsnet. Game 2 will be played on Thursday at 9:00 PM, also on Sportsnet. Games 3 and 4 will be in Winnipeg on Saturday (3:00 PM) and Monday (8:30 PM).
"You can feel the belief in this room," Hellebuyck said. "Everyone is fighting hard for each other and believing in each other. When you have a team like that, anything is possible. And in playoffs, anything can happen. Just because we are the eighth seed, it doesn’t mean that we’re the worst. Anything can happen and that’s the mindset we are taking into it.”