Confident Comrie rewarded for hard work in Jets’ net

WINNIPEG — Eric Comrie is used to being in the shadow of starting star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but the backup has achieved a season-best for the Winnipeg Jets’ masked men.

Comrie made 29 saves in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues, giving him a five-game win streak this season. That’s one more than Hellebuyck, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner and Olympic gold medallist.

“It feels good,” Comrie said. “Once again, I just try and do my job once my name gets called. Just trying to be ready whenever I get my chance, and I feel good right now.

“Switching to the white cage has been good so far, so I like that.”

The Edmonton native’s last loss was Jan. 1, when he made 30 saves in a 6-5 Toronto Maple Leafs’ win. Comrie mishandled the puck and Auston Matthews finished off a hat trick with the game-winner late in the third period.

It was Comrie’s fourth consecutive loss.

He said Sunday he went to Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty afterward and asked for advice.

“I told Flats, I said, ‘I’ve got to do something different. Everything feels like it’s going wrong right now,’” Comrie said.

“He goes, ‘Try putting a white cage in the mask.’ Sure enough, I put a white cage in the mask and it’s been good so far.”

The victory against the Blues was Comrie’s career-high 21st start of the season and he registered a career-best 11th win of the season (11-9-1).

Hellebuyck, who had a four-game victory run in October, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last November and missed 11 games. The team went 2-8-1 in his absence.

Having Comrie complement Hellebuyck as the Jets (28-28-10) try to secure an NHL playoff spot is key. They were sitting four points out of the second wild-card berth in the Western Conference after the win over St. Louis, pending other Sunday results.

Winnipeg defenceman Haydn Fleury, who scored his first goal as a Jet in his 64th game with the team, said it’s important to have confidence in both goalies.

“It’s huge,” said the Carlyle, Sask., native. “The way Coms prepares gives everybody in this room confidence. I’m shooting on him most times when he goes out early (at practice).

“It’s really a treat to see how committed to his craft he is and just really happy to see him get rewarded.”

Fleury also had an assist. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele notched a goal apiece to share the team’s scoring lead with 31 markers. Morgan Barron picked up a pair of helpers.

Dalibor Dvorsky and Dylan Holloway scored for the Blues (27-30-10), who suffered their first regulation loss in the month of March (6-1-1). Jordan Binnington stopped 13 shots.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Comrie knows his role behind Hellebuyck and praised his work ethic.

“That is one of the things about great No. 2 goaltenders, and Comrie is one of the best in the sense that every day he is the first guy out there and he stays out late and the guys love going against him in practice because he plays every puck right out,” Arniel said.

“Just the mindset where you have to, especially following a guy like Hellebuyck, it could be longer stretches before between games. You have to come out with a strong mindset and he does a really good job of staying focused. He’s become a veteran guy and learned how to handle that role and he was fantastic tonight.”

Comrie is in his third stint with the Jets. He was drafted by Winnipeg in the second round (59th overall) in 2013. The 30-year-old also played for Detroit, New Jersey, Winnipeg again, Buffalo and rejoined the Jets last season.

Sunday was his 98th NHL game and 65th with the Jets.

“It’s just trying to be my best every single day in practice and just be ready for when my name’s called upon,” Comrie said.

“It’s my job to be ready, my job to give this team a chance to win, and I take a lot of pride in that. I love this team. I want to be the best I can be for this team every single night.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.