Game 20 @ Detroit: Pavelec and Entries

10 years ago

This game was far from the Jets best of the year, but they managed to hold on and squeak out a win. Fans can look directly at Ondrej Pavelec and his performance on the night for a reason why. That’s right. I said it.

Zone Entries

5 vs 5	Player	# of successful entries	Shots (From Entries)	Shots/Entry	Controlled Entries	Shots (Controlled Entries)	% With Control	Failed entries
2	Pardy	1	0	0.00	1	0	100%	0
7	Ellerby	0	0	N/A	0	0	N/A	0
9	Kane	10	6	0.60	3	3	30%	1
12	Jokinen	4	0	0.00	1	0	25%	2
15	Halischuk	4	1	0.25	2	1	50%	1
16	Ladd	5	3	0.60	1	3	20%	1
17	Wright	0	0	N/A	0	0	N/A	0
18	Little	3	0	0.00	0	0	0%	0
22	Thorburn	1	0	0.00	0	0	0%	0
24	Clitsome	0	0	N/A	0	0	N/A	0
26	Wheeler	8	3	0.38	5	3	63%	0
27	Tangradi	4	1	0.25	3	1	75%	0
33	Byfuglien	3	1	0.33	2	1	67%	0
39	Enstrom	0	0	N/A	0	0	N/A	0
40	Setoguchi	5	1	0.20	2	1	40%	0
44	Bogosian	2	2	1.00	1	1	50%	0
55	Scheifele	4	1	0.25	3	1	75%	0
67	Frolik	6	1	0.17	2	1	33%	0
	TEAM	60	20	0.33	26	16	43%	5
	OPP	75	40	0.53	35	18	47%	12
	OZF	7	1	0.14
	DZF	16	3	0.19

Observations

It was very evident that the Wings dominated this game, and that domination began in the neutral zone. Detroit dominated in almost every category they could, and often had elongated periods of time buzzing around the Jets end. It really is impressive that the Jets only got scored on during the penalty kill.
Evander Kane struggled to carry the puck into the zone against Detroit. When he starts struggling you start to see him chipping the puck in and chasing it down himself, which obviously has a lower success rate. Somehow though despite the troubles that Jokinen and Setoguchi had generated offense from their entries, the line managed five chances for. It’s not often a group can replicate such a high rate of success on so few chances, but I’ll take it for one night.
For the first time in a long time, the LLW line was mostly carried through the neutral zone by Blake Wheeler. It’s been very nice to see him playing better lately, as the Jets success really seems to be tied to the success of this line.
Eric Tangradi continues to be the guy hauling the load that is the fourth line. James Wright and Chris Thorburn had little to nothing to contribute to this game, and I honestly feel bad that Tangradi’s ice time is suffering because of it.

Pavelec Performance

Everything about this game points to Pavelec as the hero. The Jets were simply out played and had to lean heavily on their goaltender for a solid performance. You know what? They got it.

Goal	Situation	Why It Went in	Where It Went
1	Penalty Kill	No Chance	Open Net
2	Penalty Kill	Rebound	Right Pad

Quick Explanations

Let’s be honest here. That was one hell of a pass. I don’t like how Pavelec dropped to a knee when the initial pass is made, but I believe that occurred because of the traffic in front and Pavelec reacting. I don’t give away the “no chance” reasoning very easily, but that pass combined with the fact that Pavel Datsyuk put that puck in the perfect spot resulted in one here.

Well, Pavelec did as best he could here. The Jets leaky penalty kill showed its ugly face here, first allowing Kronwall to walk in uncontested, then pretty much forgetting one of the best players in the world was on the ice. The lack of Jets around the net allowed the Wings to have a few cracks at the rebound, and ultimately Pavel scored a goal that was ridiculously similar to the one that was disallowed just over a week ago in Winnipeg.

Things To Watch For

The Jets will face off against the Flyers on Friday night, in a game that has suddenly become an “expected to win” situation. The Jets don’t necessarily do too well in those, so it will be a game to watch for sure. Here are some things to watch for going into that game:

Will Peluso draw back in? Following a game Sunday that saw the fourth line get some praise from Clause Noel, Wright and Thorburn put up absolutely horrible efforts against the Wings Tuesday night. Anthony Peluso should find himself back in the lineup on Friday, hopefully for Chris Thorburn.
Will the penalty kill get itself back together? The power play is a lost cause. It’s vital that the Jets PK get back to the level it has played at previously if the Jets want to have a chance at maintaining success.
How long with Ladd’s streak go? Andrew Ladd has been an ultra-clutch shootout God. Going back to last season, he has scored on seven straight shoot out attempts, many of which have been huge games for the team. Captain Clutch may need to come through again in the near future, so hopefully he can keep this hot streak going.

Final Thought

For the time being, the Jets are not in the basement of the Central anymore. Unfortunately, they have been the busiest team in the division, meaning that the teams ahead of them can increase their leads at any time, and the team below them (Nashville) can climb ahead of them at any time. If the Jets were in the East right now, they would be a game outside of a playoff spot. I miss the Eastern Conference.