- Connor Hellebuyck is set for his Devils home debut Tuesday against the Oilers
- McDavid has a point in all 15 Oilers games and 51 points in 32 career games against Hellebuyck
- Read below for what Hellebuyck, Keefe and the Devils said about the matchup
Connor Hellebuyck is expected to make his first home start for the Devils on Tuesday night, and the opponent is the toughest one on the schedule right now.
New Jersey hosts the Oilers at Prudential Center (7:30 p.m. ET), which means Hellebuyck will see Connor McDavid in the middle of a historic run.
The goalie arrived in an Oct. 23 trade with the Winnipeg Jets and has won both of his starts so far. He allowed one goal in a debut win over the Stars, then beat the Golden Knights. Across the two games he has given up three goals on 39 shots, good for a 1.50 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
Here is our look at the debut win:
Hellebuyck was asked what he is learning about his new teammates and pointed to the communication part of the transition.
“I’m constantly screaming out there on the ice, but that’s part of the adjustments,” Hellebuyck said. “We’re trying to get used to each other; voices too. Hearing a certain voice makes me know where a guy is.”
Head coach Sheldon Keefe said the goalie has looked like he has been in New Jersey all along. Jesper Bratt said the same about how quickly Hellebuyck fit in the room, and Jonas Siegenthaler said the defense is still figuring out where to stand when Hellebuyck leaves the crease to play the puck.
McDavid is the bigger test. He has a point in all 15 Oilers games this year and leads the league with 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists). On Sunday he became the fastest player in NHL history to 30 assists, passing Wayne Gretzky, who needed 16 games in 1984-85. We covered that streak over the weekend.
Watch McDavid score against the Rangers on Sunday:
Hellebuyck has history with him. McDavid has 51 points (11 goals, 40 assists) and 98 shots in 32 games against the goalie, who has stopped 87 of them for an .888 save percentage.
Hellebuyck was asked how he approaches McDavid and talked about his balance and ability to go both directions at speed.
“His speed will push defenders back and really make you make tough decisions,” Hellebuyck said. “But his balance, being able to go both directions, that’s what makes it hard to read because he’s not really committing to one or the other.”
He also pushed back on reading too much into the numbers. “Hockey is a team sport,” he said. “When you’re looking up all these numbers, there’s more to the story.”
As for the crowd, he sounds ready. “I’m pretty excited. I’m just having fun,” Hellebuyck said.
