Star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will aim to keep the New Jersey Devils rolling on Thursday night when they meet the St. Louis Blues in Newark, N.J.
Since joining his new team in a huge trade with Winnipeg last month in a deal that Hellebuyck requested, he has a .900 save percentage and a 1.95 goals-against average in three games, all victories.
Hellebuyck, 33, shares time in goal with 36-year-old Jake Allen but seems likely to get a bigger split of the starts.
The Devils have won six of their last seven games overall, most recently a 4-3 shootout victory against Edmonton on Tuesday night.
Hellebuyck, who made 18 saves, particularly was sharp in the shootout in his first start with the Devils at the Prudential Center. Jack Hughes, his teammate on the gold-medal-winning Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, collected two goals and an assist.
A three-time Vezina Trophy winner as well as the Hart Trophy recipient two seasons ago, Hellebuyck will return to Winnipeg next week for the first time since the trade.
While personally living happily in Manitoba since the 2015-16 season, Hellebuyck said he lost confidence the Jets could attract the talent required to win consistently. The Jets finished 35-35-12 and missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 2025-26 season. The season before, they won the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular-season record and reached the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Word got out regarding Hellebuyck’s unhappiness, and reportedly he and his family received personal backlash. To finally leverage a deal, Hellebuyck never reported to the Jets’ training camp and publicly acknowledged his trade wishes.
Drawing a team suspension, he cost himself nearly $1 million in salary before the impasse was resolved on Oct. 23, with forward Dawson Mercer, goalie Nico Daws, forward Nick Bjugstad, the rights to unsigned draft pick Alexander Command and draft picks going to the Jets.
While not specifying any worries about his family’s treatment, Hellebuyck directed additional comments to Winnipeg fans via an Instagram post made Wednesday morning. In addition to expressing a bond he felt with Jets fans, he wrote:
“There were several considerations that went into my decision, including some very challenging circumstances involving my family. After a lot of thought and discussion, we ultimately felt that making a change was the best thing for our family.”
The Blues, meanwhile, fell back to .500 after a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Scoreless until late in the third period to avoid being shut out for a third time, the Blues also failed to win a third straight game for the third time this season.
Blues forward Mason McTavish told reporters his team needs to improve at “getting to the net with our bodies and making it harder on their goalie.”
St. Louis is averaging and surrendering 3.00 goals per game this season.
Forward Ross Johnston returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing seven games with a lower body injury. As a result, they made Aleksanteri Kaskimaki a healthy scratch for the first time this season.
–Field Level Media
