The Winnipeg Jets are on the verge.
They’re closing in on a playoff berth, which would make it their first since moving back to Winnipeg from Atlanta. And behind their recent success has been the play of goalie Ondrej Pavelec.
The 27-year-old Pavelec stopped all 30 shots he faced, including a spectacular stick save in the first period as featured in the video below, and the Jets shut out the St. Louis Blues 1-0 on Tuesday.
Currently holding down the last Wild Card spot in the West, the Jets moved to 96 points, three ahead of the L.A. Kings, and both teams have two games remaining on their schedules.
Back-to-back games for the Jets and Pavelec? No problem. Back-to-back shutouts, as Pavelec has stopped a combined 62 shots in two games.
And unlikely scorer Chris Thorburn notched the game’s only goal for Winnipeg.
“There’s no better way. When you shutout the two teams you’re playing, it’s as good as it gets,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice told the Winnipeg Sun. “Good on the guys. Our goaltending was pretty good, everybody had a piece of the game and the goal comes from the line that played the least but had the biggest impact.”
However, this game wasn’t without controversy.
Late in the second period, Paul Stastny appeared to have the tying goal for St. Louis, but the goal was waved off and Stastny was called for slashing the stick out of Tyler Myers’ hands before taking control of the puck and beating Pavelec on the backhand.Of course, there were conflicting opinions on whether it was a valid penalty.
Stastny: "If (Myers) is holding his stick normally, he doesn't lose it. But what are you going to do." #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) April 8, 2015
Myers: "It was pretty clear he just slashed my stick out of my hand. I don't think there's much to argue if you look at the full replay."
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) April 8, 2015
Here’s a video of the play: