Victorious blast from the past Pavelec shakes off NHL rust as Jets double up on Coyotes

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1 Winnipeg Free Press html Victorious blast from the past Pavelec shakes off NHL rust as Jets double up on Coyotes By: Jason Bell A gigantic spark of Pavelec-tricity struck the MTS Centre Wednesday night. Then, just as quickly, the power fizzled out. But the Winnipeg Jets flicked a switch in the second period with three consecutive goals by forwards Blake Wheeler, Andrew Copp and Joel Armia and some splendid work between the pipes from recently promoted goalie Ondrej Pavelec to surge ahead and burn the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 saving themselves a whole lot of embarrassment had things gone poorly. Winnipeg halted a four-game winless skid, improving to against a Coyotes squad ( ) that looked every bit like the Pacific Division cellar-dwellers they are. With a palpable buzz in the building, Pavelec, 29, considered the goalie of the past after being dispatched to the American Hockey League prior to the start of the NHL season, promptly allowed goals on the first and sixth shots he faced in his return to NHL action. Called up from the Manitoba Moose to help shore up the Jets struggling goaltending, he was immediately thrust into the fray by head coach Paul Maurice. The Czech-born netminder couldn t handle a low shot by right-winger Josh Jooris just 2:49 into his first NHL game of the season. Winnipeg centre Bryan Little s deflection of a point shot by rookie blue-liner Josh Morrissey tied the game just 47 seconds later, but defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson regained the one-goal lead on a two-man advantage for the visitors with a laser beam that sailed over Pavelec s right shoulder at the 8:50 mark. You could almost hear the collective Uh, oh from fans seated down by the glass all the way up to the nose-bleed sections at the MTS Centre. But he rebounded with 30 saves in all including a couple of acrobatic stops that were, at times, his trademark in five up-and-down seasons as the Jets No. 1 netminder. Pavelec made two particularly sensational saves in the second period, sliding across to stop left-winger Brendan Perlini after a great setup from centre Christian Dvorak with about 10 minutes left in the period and Winnipeg ahead 3-2. Four minutes later, he was sprawled out, but managed to reach out his stick and stop a shot by Radim Vrbata that looked like a gimme for the veteran forward.

2 In the most improbable blast from the past imaginable considering his position on the team s goalie depth chart to start the season chants of "Pavy! Pavy!" rained down. It was just like old times for a goalie marked by inconsistent performances over the years in both Atlanta and Winnipeg. Afterward, he sounded more relieved than elated. "Well, it wasn t my best game in NHL, that s for sure," said Pavelec. "But it was nice to get the win. I couldn t get into the game, the first shot on goal, the 5-on-3, first shot on the power play, another goal. "It was tough. Without the guys, I wouldn t be able to bounce back and get the win." Wheeler, the Jets captain, whose tap-in past Arizona starter Mike Smith at 3:03 after a nifty pass from centre Mathieu Perreault ignited the Jets offence in the middle frame, was impressed with the resolve of Pavelec, a former second-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in "He s great," Wheeler said. "I m sure there were some nerves for him. It s kind of a unique situation he s in. I think after the first, he settled in there and made some big saves for us." Solid second period Uncharacteristically, the Jets down 2-1 and outshot 12-8 in the first period flashed some style and substance in the second period, which has given them all kinds of fits this season Winnipeg had trailed after the first periods of their four previous defeats and was this season when chasing after 20 minutes. On this night, however, the Jets passes were crisper and on target and their shots found the mark. "I just like how the team respond," Pavelec said. "I think as a goalie, you get called up from the AHL, you can t ask more from the team in front of him. I think the guys battled so hard. "I think they realized the goalie would be struggling in the first period. It s a nice comeback and was nice to get the win in the first game, that s for sure." Defenceman Jacob Trouba and winger Nikolaj Ehlers beefed up the lead with goals in the third period. The Jets had 14 players with at least a point, including Dustin Byfuglien, who had a pair of assists. Rookie defenceman Jakob Chychrun scored late for the Coyotes, while ex-jets forward Alex Burmistrov drew an assist. Burmistrov had a top-line assignment, centring Vrbata and Tobias Rieder, a role he longed for in Winnipeg. Maurice said he was pleased for his veteran goalie.

3 "I m happy for him, really happy for him," the coach said. "Going to the minors at this point in his career is a humbling thing. And he figured out how to handle it and get himself back." Maurice wouldn t commit to Pavelec as his starter Saturday when the St. Louis Blues come to town. "Oh, it s early eh? This is (five) games in nine nights for our hockey team so we re going to take (today) off," he said. "He s feeling good, we re feeling good. I probably won t be changing a whole lot." Connor Hellebuyck, who has been inconsistent this season, served as the backup against Arizona. Michael Hutchinson did not dress as the club carries three goalies for the time being. Coming up The game was the first of four in a row at home for Winnipeg. The Central Division-rival Blues visit the MTS Centre Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.). After that, a pair of Pacific Division squads come to town: the Jets play host to the Anaheim Ducks Monday and the San Jose Sharks Tuesday (both are 7 p.m. start times) html Morrissey steady presence on blue line Rookie defender's poise allows Big Buff to roam free By: Mike Sawatzky Josh Morrissey must have one of the more complicated jobs in hockey. He plays a regular shift with the mercurial Dustin Byfuglien not a task you would normally entrust to a 21-year-old, but it s a role the rookie defenceman has embraced. Byfuglien, the club s highest-paid player and a high-risk gambler in the offensive zone, can be hard to read. "I think, no matter who you re playing with, the more you play with them the easier it gets," Morrissey said prior to Winnipeg s 6-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes Wednesday night. "Their tendencies, what they like to do, things like that. As the year s gone on, our chemistry together has just grown."

4 His average ice time of 18 minutes, 30 seconds per game is 10th among first-year NHL defencemen and head coach Paul Maurice s reliance on the Calgary product appears to be growing. To begin the season, Morrissey kept his offensive forays to a minimum. He has shown he has good instincts, knowing when the moment is right to push forward offensively, while remaining mindful Byfuglien can jump into the play at just about any moment. "I m sure the first while playing with a first-year defenceman he didn t want to hang me out to dry or anything like that by being offensive," said Morrissey, who recorded an assist Wednesday. "You ve seen him lately, making some outstanding plays. The goal against Calgary comes to mind. He s got a unique ability." Burmistrov s return Alexander Burmistrov returned to face his former teammates Wednesday. The injury-depleted Coyotes, who claimed him on waivers Jan. 2, started Burmistrov on their top line and he also saw duty on the power play. It was the sort of opportunity that didn t materialize during the 25-year-old forward s second tour of duty with the Jets. "He wanted to play with real good players I understood that," Jets head coach Paul Maurice explained prior to the game. "There came a point in time where I had to make a decision between Nic Petan playing more minutes and him playing more minutes. "So Alex has a perfectly legitimate beef with me because I never gave him that opportunity to play with Blake Wheeler and Nik Ehlers or especially this year, (when) Patty Laine comes in. That s the opportunity he wanted I never gave him that opportunity." Laine back on skates for first time since suffering concussion Wheat Kings star tops central scouting's NHL draft rankings By: Mike Sawatzky The health of Winnipeg Jets rookie phenom Patrik Laine took a turn for the better Wednesday morning. The 18-year-old Finnish right-winger, sidelined since Jan. 7 after sustaining a concussion on a ferocious mid-ice hit from Buffalo Sabres defenceman Jake McCabe, skated under the supervision of Jets fitness director Craig Slaunwhite. "He gets through to the point we re comfortable, gets back on the ice," Jets head coach Paul Maurice reported prior to Wednesday night s game against the visiting Arizona Coyotes.

5 "So all the things that have gone on, light bike rides he got through and was fine. So, this is the next phase. It s back on the ice and we ll see how he feels tomorrow to decide whether he s going on or not. We re just augmenting it a little bit every day." Laine s 21 goals and 37 points are second among NHL rookies in both categories. Maurice said there cannot be a timetable for Laine s return. "Not even right until the very end," he said. "Because the last thing will be full-contact practice and... we ve had players in the past just blow through the first part and get to that and hold there for a long time. Or, if you present any symptoms, you re back to square one." Patrick still No. 1 Nolan Patrick went more than three months between games, but the Brandon Wheat Kings captain was able to maintain his No. 1-overall ranking among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting s mid-season rankings for the 2017 NHL Draft released Wednesday. The 18-year-old centre returned from injury to play in back-to-back games last weekend in Brandon. Patrick had two goals and two assists in his first game, an 8-5 win Friday over the Kootenay Ice, before going pointless in a 4-0 victory over the Ice Saturday. Three other Manitobans were also rated as potential first-round picks by central scouting: centre Cody Glass (Portland Winterhawks) of Winnipeg was rewarded for his stellar first half with an eighth-overall ranking, while right-winger Stelio Mattheos (Wheat Kings) of Winnipeg and rightwinger Nick Henry (Regina Pats) of Portage la Prairie were ranked Nos. 23 and 25, respectively. Other Manitobans ranked include: centre Morgan Geekie (Tri-City Americans) of Strathclair is No. 50, defenceman Josh Brook (Moose Jaw Warriors) of Roblin is No. 75, left-winger Ty Lewis (Wheat Kings) is No. 105, right-winger Brett Davis (Ice) is No. 142 and centre Colt Conrad (Western Michigan University) of St. Alphonse is No Are Doan s days numbered? Shane Doan is 40 and he s spent his entire 21-year NHL career with the franchise that drafted him in With the Coyotes effectively out of contention for a post-season berth, the veteran right-winger says he might waive his no-movement clause to accept a trade to a contending club before the Feb. 28 deadline. "Yeah, I think if the situation was perfect then you would, but it would have to be perfect," Doan, who signed a one-year deal with the Coyotes last summer, said. "I m very aware of the opportunity to play my whole career for one organization. It s extremely rare and I don t want to turn my nose up at that at all." It could also be Doan s final season he s hinted at retirement in the past.

6 "It s really on a year-to-year basis," Doan said. "I thought I was done last year. I m kinda the same way (this year). I go year to year." While Doan has lived with trade speculation before, it s new territory for teammate Michael Stone. The 26-year-old defenceman, a Winnipeg product, signed a one-year contract worth US$4 million in the off-season and is poised to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of "I ve never really been through anything like this before," Stone, who needed surgery to repair MCL and ACL damage in a knee following the season, said. "So, it s different. It s the part of the business side I ve never been part of." Stone, a fifth-year NHLer who has six assists in 31 games this season, would be a good addition to a contending team. "It s a possibility," he said. "I try not to think about it too much and it is the reality... I ve always loved it in Phoenix. Right from Day 1, it was like my hometown team. It was cool. I love all the guys, I love the staff. It s not much to complain about when you re living in the desert." Winnipeg Sun Jets snap skid with win over Coyotes BY TED WYMAN, WINNIPEG SUN He s had far better games in the NHL but it s hard to imagine many have been this satisfying. Ondrej Pavelec, freshly returned from a season-long banishment to the minors, did exactly what the Winnipeg Jets hoped he would do he helped them win a game and stop the bleeding from a painful four-game winless streak. Pavelec got beaten by the first shot he faced Wednesday night against the Arizona Coyotes and let in another goal before the first period was nine minutes old, but the 29-year-old Czech veteran settled down and was the winning goaltender in an eventual 6-3 Jets win at MTS Centre. He even made a highlight-reel stick save off Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata that most hockey fans in Canada have likely seen by now as the Jets won for the first time in nine days. Lucky save, Pavelec said. It s nice to have that save, that s for sure. It feels really good. But we were up already 4-2 and it was just a lucky save. Pavelec, who has been toiling with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL since October, made 29 other saves on the night, so it wasn t all luck.

7 Called up to give the Jets a confidence boost with regular goalies Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson struggling, Pavelec had the benefit of his team playing a strong game in front of him and facing one of the worst teams in the NHL. Well, it wasn t my best game in NHL, that s for sure, he said. But it was nice to get the win. I couldn t get into the game. The first shot on goal (goes in), the 5-on-3, first shot on the power play, another goal. It was tough. Without the guys, I wouldn t be able to bounce back and get the win. Jets coach Paul Maurice had high praise for Pavelec, who was in a tough position, being asked to step right in and make a difference. Going to the minors at this point in his career is a humbling thing, but he figured out how to handle it right, got himself right back up here, Maurice said. What was good about his game, he just built through it. There were some nerves in that first period and then he got stronger and then he pulled one out in a way that a really talented man can do. I m really happy for him. Beating an Arizona team that struggles to score and is 29th in the NHL s overall standings is nothing to write home about. Right now, the Jets will take anything they can get. It wasn t so promising at the start. Though they had only one goal in their last two games, the Coyotes scored on their first shot of the night against Pavelec. A low shot by Josh Jooris got by the veteran goaltender, provoking a loud groan from a crowd that is used to seeing too many first period goals against this season. The first one wasn t his (fault), Maurice said. It s a deflection. He set square on him. If you ask me it was comical. It was funny. After Josh Morrissey s shot went off Bryan Little to tie the game, the Coyotes made it 2-1 on their sixth shot of the game. Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson beat Pavelec with a laserbeam on a two-man advantage. The Jets shored up their game from then on, playing an absolutely dominant second period, in which they outshot the Coyotes 19-8, destroyed them in possession (shot attempts 38-10) and outscored them 3-0. Captain Blake Wheeler tied the game by finishing off a pretty three-way passing play with Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault and Andrew Copp put them up 3-2 1:39 later, fighting off defenceman Luke Schenn to get a shot past Coyotes goalie Mike Smith. The Jets went up 4-2 when Dustin Byfuglien hit Shawn Matthias with a brilliant stretch pass from behind his own goal and Matthias passed to Joel Armia in front of the net for a tap in. They continued their domination in the third with Jacob Trouba and Nikolaj Ehlers scoring to chase Smith from the Arizona goal. Rookie defenceman Jacob Chychrun scored a soft goal on Pavelec late in the third to round out the scoring.

8 We responded well, Jets captain Blake Wheeler said after his team improved to on the year. The first period didn t go the way we wanted it to. We just stuck with it and kept battling. It s good to go into an off day with a big win. We ll like a lot about this game and hopefully carry it into Saturday (against) St. Louis. While 14 different players recorded points for the Jets, not everybody earned the coach s praise. Ehlers, who is second in team scoring with 40 points, found himself on the fourth line in the third period, while Andrew Copp got promoted to a top line with Mark Scheifele and Drew Stafford. I think Nikky s got a little more in his game, Maurice said of the 20-year-old Dane. And he showed it (by scoring a goal). So it was good. I liked Andrew s game, he was playing hard and right. Nikky s got a little more speed he can bring to the contest early. I haven t loved Nik s games recently. He still has 15 goals as a 20-year-old so don t take that as a major thing. It s a minor, in-game I didn t love the way he was playing, I thought Copp was playing good so I thought it was a good game to switch that. Former Jets centre Alex Burmistrov, who was claimed off waivers by the Coyotes earlier this month, played a strong game for Arizona, leading all their forwards in ice time with 20 minutes and 44 seconds and recording an assist. That was not enough to do much damage. This night belonged to Pavelec and the Jets. THREE STARS Dustin Byfuglien, Jets - Had a strong physical game and dished out a couple of assists including one on a terrific stretch pass from behind his own net. Was plus-4 on the night. Ondrej Pavelec, Jets - The first goal against was soft and so was the third but the stick save he made off Radim Vrbata alone gets him on this list. And he got the win with 29 saves. Josh Morrissey, Jets - Had an outstanding defensive game, recorded an assist on Bryan Little s first-period goal and earned high praise from his coach. Matthias sees strength in Jets lockerroom BY TED WYMAN, WINNIPEG SUN Shawn Matthias is one of the new kids in town but he s a savvy veteran of 10 NHL seasons and knows what a healthy dressing room should look like. Regardless of their record, Matthias says the Winnipeg Jets are doing just fine in the team cohesiveness department.

9 Obviously, the Jets have been in a rough patch of late and had lost four straight games (one in overtime) heading into Wednesday s encounter with the Arizona Coyotes. While frustration has been evident in the faces and voices of the players, Matthias says the overall spirits are still high. When you have a road trip like that and the last four games that haven t gone your way, you can t feel sorry for yourself, the 28-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., said. Nobody is going to change this but us, nobody is coming to save us. We ve got to do this ourselves. We ve stayed close, we ve had some good meetings, we ve talked to each other. The room is good today, guys have smiles on their faces. We re a motivated team. Several players say the Jets have done a better job of keeping an even keel this season, even though there have been more ups and downs than ever. Three times now the Jets have been winless in at least four games their worst stretch was five straight losses and on the first two occasions the Jets managed to fight through it and get back on track. Matthias, who had six goals and an assist in 22 games heading into Wednesday s game, doesn t see why that can t happen now. Let s go on a streak here, he said, noting the Jets play four straight at home. We just had four losses, why not let s try to get hot at the right time here in front of our own fans. They deserve to see a solid effort and we re going to give them that. Laine back on the ice BY TED WYMAN, WINNIPEG SUN Such is the popularity of Winnipeg Jets star rookie Patrik Laine that even his taking a few turns on the ice is big news. Laine seemingly took a big step in his recovery from a concussion on Wednesday, skating for the first time since Jan. 7 with the team s fitness director. Jets coach Paul Maurice said Laine s on-ice session with Dr. Craig Slaunwhite went well, but cautioned there s still no timetable for the high-scoring Finn s return to the lineup. It s a good sign, Maurice said. He gets through the point that we re comfortable, he gets back on the ice, so all the things that have gone on like light bike rides he got through and was fine so this is the next phase. He gets back on the ice, we ll see how he feels tomorrow and we ll decide if he s going on or not and we just start augmenting it a little bit every day. Even right to the very end (there s no timetable) because the last thing will be full contact practice and a good old tug and we ve had players in the past just blow through the first part, get

10 to that and hold there for a long time. If you present any kind of symptom in that, you re back to square one so there s no timeframe for it. Laine was injured on an open-ice hit by Jake McCabe of the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 7. He has missed the Jets last five games and they are in that time. Laine, 18, has 21 goals and 37 points in 42 games and will be a strong contender for the league s rookie of the year award if he can get back in the lineup relatively soon. Toronto s Auston Matthews, picked first overall in the NHL Draft last June, one spot ahead of Laine, has the rookie scoring lead with 22 goals and 38 points in 42 games. While Laine s injury is no laughing matter not with what we know about the long-term effects of concussions Maurice enjoyed a moment of levity when asked if his prized rookie looked good on the ice. He looked fantastic, he said in a tone dripping with sarcasm. But his shot s off. No, he did what he needed to do. He skated around... he was out there for a bit. Laine was set to miss his sixth game when the Jets took on the Arizona Coyotes Wednesday night at MTS Centre. BURMI S BACK IN TOWN For much of the season, Ondrej Pavelec was playing in the minors and Alex Burmistrov was a healthy scratch for the Jets. So it was going to be interesting to see the two former exiles playing in the same game Wednesday, one for the Jets and one for the Coyotes. It s really cool stuff... we re both in different spots playing against each other, Burmistrov, who was claimed from the Jets off waivers by Arizona on Jan. 2, said Wednesday morning. We ve been playing together since Atlanta time. I m really excited to play against him and really happy for him, you know. He should be here and he should be playing from the start of the season, I think. I m happy for him that he gets back. There was a lot for Burmistrov to be happy about on Wednesday. The former eighth-overall pick by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010 was in limbo for 10 days while he waited for a U.S. work visa after getting claimed on waivers, but he was thrilled to be back playing, especially in Winnipeg Wednesday night. In his only other game with the Coyotes, he was given top-six forward minutes, played on the power play and recorded an assist. It s a big game, I can t say it s a normal game, the 25-year-old Russian said. I played here for a while and I love the boys here, I love the team here and have lots of great memories here but now I m on the other side so I m really excited.

11 Jets captain Blake Wheeler said Burmistrov deserved a chance to play and was well thought of in the dressing room. He handled himself very professionally while he was here, Wheeler said. He treated the guys all well, we treated him well back. We miss having him around the room but ultimately it s nice that he s getting an opportunity to showcase what he can do. BURMISTROV DESERVED CHANCE Maurice also said he was happy to see Burmistrov getting a chance somewhere else. In fact, he said he s been hoping for it for a while. He wanted to play with real good players, Maurice said. I understood that. I ve got other guys ahead of him in my mind here. There came a point in time where I had to make a decision between Nic Petan playing more minutes and him playing more minutes. Nic was 20 at the time, then 21 this year and I went with Nic. Alex has a perfectly legitimate beef with me that I never gave him that opportunity to play with Blake Wheeler or Nik Ehlers or, especially this year, when Patty Laine comes in. That s the opportunity that he wanted. I never gave him that opportunity. I gave it to other people. He wanted to play in a different situation. I wanted him to play in a different situation. It would have happened earlier. Didn t. He s there now and I m happy for him. Global Winnipeg Ondrej Pavelec returns as Winnipeg Jets end four game winless streak By Russ Hobson Sports Anchor/Reporter WINNIPEG It was a shaky start to his return to the NHL, but by the end of the second period the crowd at MTS Centre was chanting Pavy. Ondrej Pavelec made a successful return to the Jets lineup as he stopped 30 of 33 shots in a 6-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. As a goalie, you get called up from the AHL, you can t ask more from the team in front of him. Pavelec said. The guys battled so hard. I think they realized the goalie was a little bit struggling in the first period. But nice come back and it was nice to get the win in the first game, that s for sure. Pavelec allowed a goal on the very first shot he faced but settled down soon after and made a few spectacular saves in the victory. What was good about his game was just build through it. said head coach Paul Maurice. There would be some nerves in that first part and he built and got stronger. Then he pulls the one out only a really talented man can do. I m really happy for him, really happy for him. Going

12 to the minors at his point in his career is a humbling thing and he figured out how to handle it right, get himself ready to get back up here. I m sure there were some nerves for him. said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. It was kinda a unique situation he was in and so I think after the first he settled in there and made some big saves for us. The win ended a streak of four straight games without a victory. The Jets received goals from six different players as Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Copp, Joel Armia, Jacob Trouba and Nikolaj Ehlers all found the net in the victory. 15 Jets players registered at least a point and their only minus player was Toby Enstrom who finished the game -1. Dustin Byfuglien recorded two assists. A few fans booed former Jets forward Alex Burmistrov the first time he touched the puck early in the first period. He had one assist and was a +1 with two shots on goal and two hits. It was a rough start for Pavelec in his return to the Jets. Less than three minutes into the first period, Pavelec allowed in the first shot he faced. Josh Jooris, from the top of the circle slid in the puck past Pavelec. It was only Jooris second goal of the season as Lawson Crouse drew the only assist. The Jets evened the score only 47 seconds later. Josh Morrissey s point blast hit Little in front of the net and deflected past Mike Smith. Morrissey was originally credited with his third career NHL goal but it was later changed to Little who garnered his eighth of the season and it was 1-1. Midway through the period, and just five seconds into a Coyotes 5-on-3 man advantage, Oliver Ekman-Larsson beat Pavelec from almost the exact same spot on the ice. The powerplay goal was unassisted and the Coyotes had two goals on only six shots for a one goal lead. The shots were 12-8 in favour of the Coyotes in the initial 20 minutes. The Jets once again leveled the score 3:03 into the second period. Mathieu Perreault put it in front for Wheeler who sent in the one-timer. Wheeler s 14th goal of the season was also assisted by Little and it was a two all tie. Less than two minutes later the Jets took their first lead. Copp was all tied up with Luke Schenn battling for the loose puck but Copp still managed to shovel it past a sprawled out Smith for his fifth goal of the campaign. Chris Thorburn and Nic Petan had the helpers as the Jets went ahead 3-2. The Jets added to their lead with 7:11 remaining in the middle period. Shawn Matthias spotted a streaking Armia and he re-directed the puck past Smith for the Jets fourth goal. Byfuglien also had an assist on Armia s third goal of the season. The Jets extended their lead to three midway through the final frame. Drew Stafford threw a shot on goal and Trouba came flying in to whack in the rebound. Mark Scheifele also had an assist on Trouba s third goal of the season. Not even two minutes later Ehlers picked the top corner for his 15th of the season to chase Smith from the game. Paul Postma had the only assist as Louis Domingue came on in relief in goal for Arizona.

13 Jakob Chychrun would score for the Coyotes with five minutes remaining to round out the scoring. Michael Hutchinson, Julian Melchiori and Brandon Tanev were all healthy scratches for Winnipeg. The Jets continue their four game homestand on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues with puck drop scheduled for 2:00 pm at MTS Centre. Three s a crowd for Winnipeg Jets goalies By Mitch Rosset Reporter/Anchor WINNIPEG Ondrej Pavelec s return to the Winnipeg Jets has made the team s crease a little crowded. The Jets currently have three goalies up in the NHL: Pavelec, Michael Hutchinson and Connor Hellebuyck. Having that many at once is rare. Most teams will re-assign a goalie when bringing another aboard as they only need two in a game. It s a move Winnipeg has yet to do. NHL teams are allowed to carry a maximum of 23 players on their roster at one time. The Jets made room for Pavelec by placing defenceman Ben Chiarot on injured reserve. Players on injured reserve do not count towards a team s total. There s no rules limiting how many goalies a team can have in it s dressing room. The typical breakdown of a 23-man roster is 14 forwards, seven defencemen, and two goaltenders. The more goalies a team carries, the less space there is for other players. If the Jets eventually decide on a duo, the goalie sent down to the AHL s Manitoba Moose will first have to be placed on waivers. This allows any other team to claim the goalie if they please. Pavelec and Hutchinson both have one-way contracts. Hellebuyck, on the other hand, is in the final year of his entry-level contract. This type of deal allows a player to move freely between the NHL and AHL, as long as he has not reached the age or experience level where waiver restrictions apply. In Hellebuyck s case, his exemption status expires after four years or 60 NHL games because he signed his first contract when he was 21. Hellebuyck played his 60th game last Friday against the Arizona Coyotes. The only other option the Jets have is to trade a goalie away. The Metro Winnipeg

14 Hustler: Ondrej Pavelec recall a desperate move for Winnipeg Jets By: Andrew 'Hustler' Paterson The Winnipeg Jets don t have much time left to salvage their season. After a very rough start to 2017 the team finds itself with a massive challenge to even have meaningful games down the stretch this year, never mind grabbing a playoff spot. Much of the blame (although there is plenty to go around) has been piled on the shoulders of the Jets' two young goalies, Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson. Hellebuyck, who has had the majority of the work this year, is coming off two rough starts, being pulled in the first period of both. Hutchinson, meanwhile, has struggled throughout the year and his days as an NHL goaltender may be numbered. It got so bad this week as the team prepared for a four-game homestand that Ondrej Pavelec, exiled to the Moose in the AHL at the beginning of the season in the final of his contract, was recalled to the Jets and will start against Arizona Wednesday at the MTS Centre. The recall of Pavelec shows just how desperate the situation had become. With no future in the organization beyond this year, it was pretty clear the team had moved on from its former starter. To call him back now and throw him in right away is admission of just how badly the things were falling apart and shows how poorly this had been handled by Jets management from the start of the season. What needs to be the focus of all of this is the development of Hellebuyck. Now 60 games into his NHL career, he has been very good at times and has shown the ability to be a quality NHL goaltender. But not having the safety net of a legit veteran presence in net alongside him has essentially taken away any competition for playing time in net and placed way too much pressure too soon on a very young goalie by NHL standards. It was sink or swim, and now, ironically, castoff Pavelec is back to be the Jets' life preserver for the time being. The upcoming expansion draft certainly complicated things this year as the team needed to have a goalie to expose in the draft for the new Vegas team. The Jets re-signed Hutchinson to be that guy and kept him with the big club worried of a waiver claim. Unfortunately, he just hasn t been able to get the job done this year, even in a back-up role. Hellebucyk has a bright future and one can only hope the recent setbacks will not affect his confidence going forward. Maybe everyone is making too much of two bad starts as only a week ago he was coming off a shutout of Calgary and had a respectable.913 save percentage going into the Montreal game where he got the hook early. The bottom line for the Jets and their fans is a bitter pill of another season going down the drain. And in a results-based business, this has increased the heat on Paul Maurice, who has many problems on his hands beyond just inconsistent goaltending. Maybe Pavelec, in his final act with the Winnipeg Jets, can both resuscitate his NHL career, and help Maurice put out a few fires. Canadian Press

15 Ondrej Pavelec Makes 30 Saves in NHL Return as Jets Top Coyotes 6-3 By Judy Owen, The Canadian Press WINNIPEG Ondrej Pavelec was glad his long wait to get back to the NHL ended with a victory, even if it wasn t his best game. The veteran netminder made 30 saves as the Winnipeg Jets halted a four-game losing streak Wednesday with goals from six different players in a 6-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Pavelec, 29, was sent to the American Hockey League s Manitoba Moose at the end of training camp, but recalled Tuesday. I think as a goalie, you get called up from the AHL, you can t ask more from the team in front of him, Pavelec said. I think the guys battled so hard. I think they realized the goalie would be struggling in the first period. It s a nice comeback and was nice to get the win in the first game, that s for sure. Jets coach Paul Maurice left the door open for Pavelec to start Saturday afternoon when Winnipeg hosts St. Louis. Oh, it s early, eh, he said when asked. This is six games in nine nights for our hockey team here tonight so we re going to take the day off (Thursday). But he s feeling good, we re feeling good, I probably won t be changing a whole lot. Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Copp, Joel Armia, Jacob Trouba and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for the Jets ( ), who started a four-game homestand. Little also had an assist and Dustin Byfuglien added a pair of helpers. Josh Jooris, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jakob Chychrun had Arizona s goals. The Coyotes led 2-1 after the first period, but the Jets fired in three straight goals in the second to take a 4-2 lead and then added the first pair in the third. In the second period, they came out real strong and we couldn t match their ability to win puck battles, Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. You win puck battles, which allows you to play in the offensive zone. We lost too many battles in front of our net and they ended up in goals. Mike Smith stopped 29 of the 35 shots he faced for Arizona ( ) before being replaced by Louis Domingue after Winnipeg s sixth goal midway through the third period. Domingue made four saves for the Coyotes, who have lost three straight. Their last win was 4-3 against the Jets at home last Friday. Maurice was impressed with how Pavelec dealt with his demotion and promotion. Going to the minors at this point in his career is a humbling thing and he figured out how to handle it right and get himself ready and back up here, Maurice said. Happy for him.

16 Pavelec received his familiar Pavy, Pavy chant from the crowd in the middle period after his quick stick deflected a shot by Radim Vrbata over the net. Maurice praised the save. There would be some nerves in that first part and he built and got stronger, Maurice said. And then he pulls one out only a really, really talented man can do. I m really happy for him, really happy for him. Jooris scored on Arizona s first shot on goal, firing the puck low and just outside Pavelec s outstretched left skate at 2:49. The Jets responded 47 seconds later with a goal later credited to Little during a deflection off players in front of Smith at 3:36. Five seconds into a two-man advantage, Arizona used its sixth shot on goal to go ahead 2-1 off Ekman-Larsson s laser to the top corner at 8:50. Wheeler, Copp and Armia scored in the second, while Trouba and Ehlers made it 6-2 by 8:59 of the third, sending Smith to the bench. Chychrun s second goal of the season was assisted by former Jets forward Alexander Burmistrov. It was his first return to Winnipeg after the team placed him on waivers earlier this month and Arizona claimed him. It was weird to watch the guys skating in the warmup in the jersey you re used to wearing, Burmistrov said. Everybody skated by me and say hi in the warmup. I m really happy about moving (to the Coyotes). I m ready for this new chapter in my life. Arizona quickly travels to Minnesota for a game against the Wild Thursday. Winnipeg hosts St. Louis Saturday afternoon. TSN.ca Goaltending is the real issue in Winnipeg By Gary Lawless TSN Senior Correspondent Jack Capuano got clipped on Tuesday and the knives are out for Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice. Tis the season in the NHL. But unlike Capuano, whom Islanders GM Garth Snow sacrificed to stay in the good graces of ownership and to give captain John Tavares hope for the future, Maurice isn t going anywhere. The coach is on the same page as GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and chairman Mark Chipman. The results aren t what the Jets organization hoped for this season, but with a rookie goalie and one of the youngest rosters in the NHL, the team s record of isn t unexpected.

17 Maurice is doing what Cheveldayoff and the organization have asked of him he s playing and teaching kids. There has been considerable improvement in Jacob Trouba, Mark Scheifele and Nik Ehlers. The next trick is to bring it all together and convert talent into wins. That isn t going to happen until this team can stop the puck. Some have argued the Jets lack of structure is the reason they re giving up so many goals more than three per game. At least one set of numbers suggests otherwise. Winnipeg s team save percentage is.899, fifth-worst in the NHL. But its 5-on-5 shot attempts against is 53 per 60 minutes, sixth-best. Certainly, Winnipeg s team game has looked ragged at times, but that most often happens after the goaltending has put the club in an untenable situation. The combination of Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson has floundered of late and the team has followed. Hellebuyck won the No. 1 job based on a strong audition midway through last season, but he s learning on the job and the latest dip had to be expected at some point. Goaltending is the most important job in hockey and it s also one of the more difficult to master. It s why goalie gurus say it takes 3,000 shots against in the NHL to clearly know what a goalie is going to be. Hellebuyck is halfway there. Hutchinson is 4-10 with an.894 save percentage this season. He hasn t been the support system Hellebuyck has needed. Cue the return of veteran Ondrej Pavelec for Wednesday s game against Arizona. The Jets have problems Maurice s inability to improve team discipline and special teams among them but the greatest issue is goaltending. Had the Jets kept the veteran Pavelec, a.500 goalie during his NHL career with a.907 save percentage over parts of nine seasons, coming out of training camp rather than Hutchison, it s fair to argue this team would have three or four more wins and be comfortably in the postseason picture. The organization elected to go with Hellebuyck, hoping he could replicate last season s success. Up until getting yanked in back-to-back games last week (he was sitting at a.913 save percentage before those performances and has now dipped to a.907) that was the case. Hutchinson s inability to provide a competent alternative has been the team s real downfall. The Jets are nearing a major decision for the future. Pavelec will be allowed to walk in free agency and Hutchinson is destined for the AHL. They need a legitimate answer in goal to go along with a burgeoning roster. The right goalie matched with this roster equals a playoff team. After that, Cheveldayoff has lots of prospects and cap room to augment his draft and develop work with depth and leadership to try and build a contender. Pavelec recalled by Jets, will start Wednesday Ondrej Pavelec has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets and will start Wednesday against the Coyotes. Pavelec has spent the entire season with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Sara Orlesky has more on the Pavelec's return and how the Jets are focused on getting wins now. Any talk of Maurice getting fired is not only premature, it s misinformed. Maurice has this season and next left on his current pact and it s highly unlikely he isn t given an extension prior to heading into next season. Chipman has said for years he doesn t believe in his people working

18 with the added pressure of job security squeezing like a vice. He believes it to be counterproductive. Maurice has a career.507 winning percentage. He s been to the playoffs five times and to the Stanley Cup final once in 18 seasons. His goalies in that time have combined for a.904 save percentage. There has been a lot said lately about whether Maurice has been dealt bad cards in his coaching career or if he s just a bad card player. Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Trouba, Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien are certainly good cards, but there s no royal flush without an ace and right now Maurice doesn t have one in net. That s the difference here. Give the Jets league-average goaltending and they re a much different team. They re improving and climbing instead of struggling in the standings. And no one would be talking about firing Maurice. NHL.com Jets rally to give Ondrej Pavelec win in return After Coyotes score on first shot, Winnipeg ends losing streak by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent WINNIPEG -- Ondrej Pavelec made 30 saves in his first NHL game of the season to help the Winnipeg Jets defeat the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 at MTS Centre on Wednesday. Pavelec started his first NHL game since April 9 after being called up from Manitoba of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. He allowed two first-period goals before Winnipeg scored five in a row in the second and third periods. "I just like how the team responded," Pavelec said. "I think as a goalie, you get called up from the AHL, you can't ask more from the team in front of him. I think the guys battled so hard. I think they realized the goalie would be struggling in the first period. It's a nice comeback and was nice to get the win in the first game, that's for sure." Jets coach Paul Maurice said, "Going to the minors at this point in his career is a humbling thing, but he figured out how to handle it right, got himself right back up here." Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Copp, Joel Armia, Jacob Trouba and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for the Jets ( ), who ended a four-game losing streak. Josh Jooris, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jakob Chychrun scored for the Coyotes ( ). Mike Smith was pulled after he allowed six goals on 35 shots. Louis Domingue made four saves in relief. Jooris scored on the first shot Pavelec faced, making it 1-0 at 2:49 of the first period. Jooris was playing in place of forward Martin Hanzal, who left the Coyotes to deal with a family matter.

19 Little tied the game 1-1 at 3:36, redirecting Josh Morrissey's point shot past Smith. Ekman- Larsson gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead at 8:50 on a 5-on-3 power play, putting his wrist shot from the top of the circle high past Pavelec's glove hand. "We responded well," Wheeler said. "The first period didn't go the way we wanted it to. We just stuck with it and kept battling." The Jets scored twice in 1:39 early in the second period. Wheeler finished a tic-tac-toe play to tie it 2-2 at 3:03, and Copp gave the Jets a 3-2 lead at 4:42. Armia made it 4-2 at 12:49, tipping Shawn Matthias' centering pass past Smith. "In the second period, they came out real strong and we couldn't match their ability to win puck battles," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "You win puck battles which allows you to play in the offensive zone. We lost too many battles in front of our net and they ended up in goals." Trouba scored at 7:42 of the third period to make it 5-2, and Ehlers made it 6-2 1:17 later. Chychrun scored at 14:42 to make it 6-3. Goal of the game Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien made a stretch pass to Matthias at the Coyotes blue line. Matthias skated into the zone and found Armia, who was skating down the right side. Save of the game Coyotes forward Brendan Perlini redirected Christian Dvorak's centering pass, but Pavelec got across his crease to make the left-pad save to preserve a 3-2 lead in the second period. Highlight of the game Pavelec had to stretch across his crease to get the paddle of his stick on Radim Vrbata's shot, deflecting it over the net. "It was kind of my fault, I couldn't hold the rebound," Pavelec said. "Lucky save. It's nice to have that save, that's for sure. It feels really good. But we were up already 4-2 and it just [was a] lucky save." Unsung performance of the game Byfuglien had two assists, including on the game-winning goal, was plus-3 and had two hits and a blocked shot in 25:33. They said it "Oh, it's early, eh. This is six games in nine nights for our hockey team here tonight, so we're going to take the day off (Thursday), but he's feeling good, we're feeling good, I probably won't be changing a whole lot." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice on if Ondrej Pavelec will start Saturday

20 "They picked up their level and we didn't match it. They had a goal early, and once they had a goal early they shut their momentum and they kept going. We had a couple opportunities, Pavelec made a big save for them to keep it 3-2 or 4-2 or whatever. They seemed to get more jump off of that and we [have] to be better. We [have] to find ways to compete better." -- Coyotes captain Shane Doan Need to know The Coyotes are in their past 14 games. Arizona forward Alexander Burmistrov had an assist in his 300th NHL game. The Jets had 14 players with at least one point. Winnipeg forward Drew Stafford had an assist in his 700th NHL game. What's next Coyotes: At the Minnesota Wild on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N, FS-WI, FS-A+, NHL.TV) Jets: Host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-MW, NHL.TV) Sportsnet.ca 30 Thoughts: Could a Canadian team land Kevin Shattenkirk? Elliotte Friedman January 18, 2017, 12:45 PM 12. We re also awaiting a Wednesday update on Jonas Brodin, injured in Minnesota s loss to New Jersey. Not sure there s a player in the NHL with a better bounceback year. Brodin was Trade Rumour Central in There was one going around that a third team was trying to involve him in a multiple-club deal that would have moved Jacob Trouba, but he d had such a rough year that it didn t work. Good on him. Nice comeback. 17. One thing to note about Winnipeg s goalie situation: Connor Hellebuyck is now waiver eligible. He hit 60 games last Friday in Arizona. 18. A couple of months ago, I was at a panel discussion featuring David Segal, co-founder of David s Tea. One of his philosophies is, Never marry your ideas. I thought of that while waiting for the Jets to call up Ondrej Pavelec. I understand what they were thinking: We made a call and we re going to stick with it, which is the way you have to start with these things. Make a decision and give it time. In this case, however, they reached the point of diminishing returns and had no choice but to step back. They had to do it as much to protect Hellebuyck as promote Pavelec. The former is still the goalie of the future, but it s clear this is not the time to expose him to the wolves. He needs work, in practice if not in games. As for Michael Hutchinson, word is Winnipeg has feared losing him on waivers, particularly to San Jose. 19. When it comes to Paul Maurice, my thoughts are this: is the final year of his current contract and I do believe it was always Winnipeg s plan to discuss an extension with him after the season. Sometimes, the ground shifts underneath our feet, throwing our best-laid plans out the window. In a perfect world, that s what I think the Jets would still like to do. The