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Frank Gunn \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Eric Comrie is currently sporting a .892 save percentage. With teammate Connor Hellebuyck coming off an Olympic run with Team USA, the Jets\u2019 backup netminder is poised to start once NHL play resumes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the hardest worker on this team \u2014 by a mile,\u201d said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that gives it his all every single practice, every single morning skate. It\u2019s good to see his continued hard work and dedication to the game pay off for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Connor Hellebuyck set to make his fourth start at the Olympic in Friday\u2019s semifinal against Slovakia(2:10 p.m. CT) \u2014 and with the potential to make a fifth on the weekend in the medal round, plus the grueling travel back to North America early next week \u2014 Comrie is expected to be between the pipes when the Jets return to action against the Vancouver Canucks next Wednesday at Rogers Arena.<\/p>\n
That will begin a stretch of 26 games in 51 days for the Jets, who will enter action 11 points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.<\/p>\n
The next start Comrie makes will tie his career mark for NHL appearances in a single season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, it\u2019s exciting, but once again, it\u2019s just working every single day,\u201d said Comrie. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an honour to play the most games I play. It\u2019s the best league in the world, and I don\u2019t take for granted how good this league is and how hard it is staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Comrie admits this campaign has been a bit of a roller-coaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a strange season. I think it\u2019s been a strange season for the whole group,\u201d said Comrie. \u201cIt\u2019s been filled with ups and downs, but I think the whole team has kind of been that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last few, three games, I felt very, very good, I felt very sharp, and I\u2019m just looking to continue that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Comrie has plenty of reasons to feel good. During those past three starts, he\u2019s allowed a grand total of three goals: one in each of those games. That helped push his save percentage up to .892 and his goals-against average down to 3.07.<\/p>\n
Those numbers aren\u2019t in the same ballpark as last season, when Comrie was exceptional in posting career-bests in save percentage (.914) and goals-against average (2.39).<\/p>\n
But this is a case where the numbers were skewed by several outings, several of which came during the Jets lengthy losing skid.<\/p>\n
With Hellebuyck sidelined with a knee injury, Comrie was busier than he\u2019s ever been at the NHL level \u2014 starting 11 of 12 games between Nov. 18 and Dec. 11 \u2014 and he conceded that he put some additional pressure on himself during that span.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the stress, the losing streak, and just a lot of games I played there in a short amount of time, I wasn\u2019t fully used to that,\u201d said Comrie. \u201cSo, I think I just put a little bit of pressure on myself. I was trying a little bit too hard, and I was maybe hindering myself. I was reacting slower, instead of just letting things happen and calming down and being relaxed and just letting the game happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Hellebuyck has returned to the lineup, Comrie settled back into the groove, which is imperative given how compressed the schedule is going to be during the stretch run.<\/p>\n
Jets head coach Scott Arniel was asked about the value of having someone with Comrie\u2019s personality on the roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is such an important position in this league,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cI know there is a stretch in there where he stepped in when we weren\u2019t playing our best hockey and he didn\u2019t get rewarded with the wins but, at the end of the day, he has been strong for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis work ethic in practice, he stays out, he is one of the last guys to come off the ice and you know when he\u2019s in the building because you can hear him coming from a mile away, (telling) his stories, but at the end of the day he is just a great teammate and the guys love him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Comrie is one of eight pending unrestricted free agents on the Jets\u2019 roster, he\u2019s a prime candidate for an extension, especially when you consider his relationship with Hellebuyck and that the two top goalie prospects in the system (Dom DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic) will likely need another season of American Hockey League seasoning before they\u2019re ready to push for full-time NHL work.<\/p>\n
As has been the case throughout his career, Comrie is going to focus on what is in front of him and let the future take care of itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust enjoy the moment when it comes,\u201d said Comrie. \u201cThe biggest thing for me would just be my mindset, mentally. That\u2019s the biggest thing I\u2019ve had to work on is understanding and believing my game is good enough. Trust in my game and trust in my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking of Hellebuyck, Comrie has been keeping a close eye on his goalie partner as he\u2019s gotten into a groove during the Olympics for Team USA, sporting a 1.00 goals-against average and .958 save percentage.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cHe\u2019s the best goalie in the world, if not the best player in the world and he\u2019s playing his game,\u201d said Comrie. \u201cHe looked fantastic against Sweden again (Wednesday). Every single game he\u2019s played, he just looks so sharp. I mean he just makes it look so easy. It\u2019s just fun to watch him play.\u201d<\/p>\n Comrie, 30, essentially finds himself in a can\u2019t lose situation if the dream matchup of Canada versus the United States transpires.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I mean, I\u2019ve got to cheer for Canada. And I\u2019ve got to cheer for my guys on the U.S. too, because I\u2019ve got KC (Kyle Connor) and (Hellebuyck) on the team,\u201d said Comrie.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to cheer for Canada because I\u2019m from Canada. My wife is from the U.S., and I\u2019ve got one kid from the U.S., one kid from Canada. So, we\u2019ve got kind of a split in the house, so we\u2019ll see how it goes. I can\u2019t lose, so we\u2019re excited to watch. I\u2019m really excited to watch the games. I mean, I can\u2019t wait to see just great hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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