Fansided

The Winnipeg Jets Look Great In Net…So Far

By Catherine Silverman

Nov 6, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec (31) makes a save during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at MTS Centre. Pittsburgh wins 4-3 overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec (31) makes a save during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at MTS Centre. Pittsburgh wins 4-3 overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Winnipeg Jets have started off stronger than ever in net

Nothing about Winnipeg Jets netminder Ondrej Pavelec’s .906 NHL career SV% suggests that he is a consistent, top-of-the-line starting netminder.

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Pavelec has consistently posted some of the worst overall numbers in the league, which many argue has kept the Winnipeg Jets from seeing the post-season.

Both Pavelec and his backup, Michael Hutchinson, seem determined to get past those old woes — the starter has a .928 SV% to start off the season, and Hutchinson looks even better with a .949 in his brief appearances thus far.

Jets fans hope these numbers will push their team into one of the Western Conference Wild Card spots- or even keep them in actual playoff contention, which is where they sit right now. History isn’t on their side, though.

When Pavelec’s career is broken down game by game, he’s not a consistently subpar netminder. He’s actually gone through some incredibly above-average streaks in the past, winning games in bunches and posting save percentages in the high .900’s for multiple games in a row.

The problem with Pavelec has never been his peak ability. The problem, which becomes clear in his game logs, is his consistency — the netminder has one of the streakiest records in the NHL. He’s got an inconsistency record over the past few seasons on par with Arizona Coyotes‘ Mike Smith and Toronto Maple Leafs backup James Reimer, both of whom have offset weeks with less than 2.0 GAA by earning 4.00 GAA+ in the weeks to follow.

If the Jets can keep up their in-net situation, this could be their year; forward Blake Wheeler has certainly brought together the team’s skaters on the ice enough to help them make a post-season push.

If Pavelec reverts to old habits, though, the team will soon forget how good he started the season off… and all that will be remembered is yet another season that ends in April.

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