Chris Johnston just reported that Connor Hellebuyck won't start for the Devils in Winnipeg tonight, but he will hear the boos.
For a quick catch-up, Hellebuyck is the 33-year-old goalie the Jets drafted 130th overall in 2012. He is now in New Jersey, and tonight is his first trip back to Canada Life Centre in a Devils sweater. The Devils arrive 13-5-0 and on a five-game winning streak.
Johnston noted that Hellebuyck is not in the Devils' net for the return, yet the crowd will still get its chance to let him have it.
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The decision has been the talk of the league for days. Kyle Connor said he was surprised when he heard.
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That reaction lines up with what Winnipeg reporter Mike McIntyre relayed earlier, when he said the Jets were stung by the Devils' decision on Hellebuyck. Captain Adam Lowry went a step further and said he would have loved to play against him.
Jets coach Scott Arniel did not hide his feelings Monday. He said Hellebuyck "gave up on us" and that sitting him "drags it out."
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe has been explaining himself since, and his reasoning has kept shifting, as we noted in our look at Keefe's explanation for sitting Hellebuyck.
What will Hellebuyck's night look like as a backup?
The first answer comes this morning. The Devils skate at 11:30 a.m. in Winnipeg, and Hellebuyck's media availability follows that skate, according to Daniel Amoia and James Nichols.
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Expect Jake Allen to be the man across from the Jets. He is not confirmed as the starter, but he has been the Devils' other goalie this season with 9 games played. Against Winnipeg over his career, he is 9-11-3 with an .884 save percentage.
On the Winnipeg side, the Jets are 7-8-3 and sit 23rd in the NHL. They have won three straight after a nine-game losing streak, so the building has real reasons to be loud for them as well.
Here's the opinion: sitting Hellebuyck is a poor way to handle this. It takes away the one moment that could have settled the story, a save, a shutout or a goal against, and leaves him absorbing the noise with no way to answer it on the ice. The Jets also lose the matchup they wanted, which only keeps the grudge alive.
Whatever happens, the boos are coming. Hellebuyck speaks after the morning skate, and the Jets and Devils drop the puck tonight.
Quick hits
SUSPENSION: Tom Wilson will not be suspended for his boarding hit on Sandis Vilmanis. FlaHockeyNow reports the Panthers beat has a clear opinion on the call.
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: The bench confrontation between Matvei Michkov and Nick Seeler in Vancouver is still the talk of Philadelphia this morning. The beat writers are split on who was right.
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NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Bo Horvat had a blunt message after last night's shootout loss in San Jose. He wants the team back to what it was early on, and he is right to say it.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Alexander Ovechkin walks into Ottawa tonight with the Capitals on a 10-game goalless drought, according to Coming In Hot. Someone is due.
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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Dante Fabbro and Luca Del Bel Belluz spent Monday afternoon handing out free turkeys, per a Blue Jackets beat account. A nice reminder of what the off-ice work looks like.
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Also read on Markerzone.com:
Devils' Hellebuyck decision stings the Jets
