Connor Hellebuyck makes a few impressive 1st-period saves in Devils debut (0:48)

Associated Press

Oct 27, 2026, 10:57 PM ET

DALLAS -- Connor Hellebuyck stood in front of his net during the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and thought "Finally!" then played like a three-time Vezina Trophy winner in his first game in six months.

Hellebuyck, 33, enjoyed a multigoal lead for most of the night in his New Jersey debut and allowed one goal on 17 shots as the Devils beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 on Tuesday night.

"It was a lot of fun," said Hellebuyck, who was traded four days ago by the Winnipeg Jets after his suspension for failing to report to training camp. His last NHL action before Tuesday came April 13, a 6-2 loss at Vegas.

"The guys in front of me just played a perfect game for me to get acclimated," he said. "Not a lot of shots, blocking everything, keeping everything to the outside. Letting me see things.…