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Game 25 vs. Minnesota: Pavelec and Entries

By Travis Hrubeniuk

Nov 25, 2013, 01:48 ESTUpdated: Nov 25, 2013, 01:01 EST

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An inability to finish really cost the Jets Saturday afternoon. Heck, when you look at the numbers, it is pretty clear that they controlled most of the game, from the neutral zone on out.

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	1	1.00	1	1	100%	0
5	Stuart	1	1	1.00	0	0	0%	0
7	Ellerby	3	0	0.00	0	0	0%	0
9	Kane	9	6	0.67	6	5	67%	0
12	Jokinen	4	3	0.75	2	2	50%	1
15	Halischuk	5	6	1.20	4	4	80%	0
16	Ladd	6	1	0.17	5	1	83%	3
17	Wright	2	0	0.00	0	0	0%	0
18	Little	6	5	0.83	5	5	83%	1
22	Thorburn	1	0	0.00	0	0	0%	0
24	Clitsome	2	4	2.00	2	4	100%	0
26	Wheeler	8	3	0.38	6	3	75%	1
27	Tangradi	3	1	0.33	2	1	67%	1
33	Byfuglien	4	3	0.75	2	2	50%	1
39	Enstrom	1	0	0.00	0	0	0%	0
40	Setoguchi	5	6	1.20	4	4	80%	2
55	Scheifele	4	2	0.50	2	1	50%	0
67	Frolik	9	5	0.56	6	5	67%	0
	TEAM	74	47	0.64	47	38	64%	10
	OPP	62	27	0.44	29	20	47%	8
	OZF	13	5	0.38
	DZF	16	9	0.56

Observations

The Jets had one of their better neutral zone games of the year. They had many more entries than the Wild did overall, they controlled way more entries than they didn’t, and they had a far above average shots/entry total. Usually results like this end up in great possession numbers and a win. The Jets managed one, but not the other.
Simply put, all of the Jets top three lines had strong games.
The LLW line, once again led by Bryan Little, was able to move the puck down the ice with great consistency. They did all right in creating shots and chances, but in comparison to other games against the Wild removing pressure is a big step forward.
Jokinen, Kane and Setoguchi were spectacular. All three of them had more than 0.60 shots per entry, and controlled over half them. This line is going to get hot soon. When they do, it’s going to be an explosion of offense. The problem is that it will likely be too late.
The third line had one of its better games of late. Understandably, you can’t expect your third to consistently provide offense, but it is of huge benefit when they do. I still don’t understand why Scheifele is up in the big leagues, or why Frolik doesn’t see more penalty-kill time. On a line with Frolik and Halischuk, Scheifele was the weak point, and development certainly wouldn’t hurt the kid.

Pavelec Performance

Overall I thought Pavelec had a decent game, though he had a couple weak spots. I though he was fighting the puck off a little bit too much, as was seen on his “big save” midway through the game. (Go watch it again. It wouldn’t have been needed if he had held on to the initial shot that hit him in the chest.) Nonetheless, as of right now Ondrej Pavelec is not this teams biggest problem, nor was he the reason this team lost Saturday afternoon.

Goal	Situation	Why It Went In	Where It Went
1	Average Play (Controlled ZE)	Rebound	Left Pad
2	Jets Power Play	Beat Clean	Glove Hand

Quick Explanations

I think Pavelec lost track of exactly where this puck was following the initial shot, as he wasn’t able to properly handle it. He knew it was somewhere near his pad, but I think he believed he had it covered. He didn’t react to Niederreiter crashing the net, and it resulted in a relatively simple goal.

How a team gets a short-handed three on two is beyond me. How a team gives up a short handed three on two while leading by one goal with five minutes left in the third is even more so beyond me. A near perfect pass from the highly under-rated Mikko Koivu that is followed up with an excellent shot from the highly skilled Zach Parise results in a beauty of a short handed goal to tie things up. It was a tough situation for Pavelec, so no blame can really fall on him for this one.

Things to Watch For

The Jets kick off a six game road trip Monday night in New Jersey, which could be seen as a make or break road trip (assuming they still do have a chance) for this team. Here are some things to watch for moving into New Jersey:
Who’s leaving the lineup? Jacob Trouba is reportedly ready to step back into the lineup. He declared himself healthy on Sunday, meaning someone is going to be on his way out. Odds are it’ll be Pardy, but I am going to preach for it to be Stuart until the very last minute.
Will the road be good? Things are not going to be pleasant for the Jets if they lose another game or two. Them getting away from the anger that is certainly building at home is probably going to be a good thing for both sides.
When will Kane break through? It’s going to happen. I guarantee that. And when it does, he’s going to go on a run. The only question is when?

Final Thought

Although the team won’t be mathematically eliminated, they need to basically sweep this road trip to stay relevant in the division. Heck, with how the West has played this year, a perfect road trip probably would just leave them hanging on where they are now. Regardless, a bad road trip will be it for this team.