Steady Pavelec sets stage for Winnipeg’s late rally, OT win

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This article was published 03/12/2014 (4032 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Not that he was complaining, but Winnipeg Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec wanted to make sure the record was clear Wednesday night that Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba was a part of four goals in Winnipeg’s 3-2 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers at the MTS Centre.

So how exactly was Trouba a part of four goals on a night his team scored just three?

“There was their goal, too,” laughed Pavelec, a reference to a first-period goal by Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that deflected behind Pavelec off of Trouba.

The fact Pavelec could laugh about it was only the result of a late comeback by the Jets. It turned what was looking like an ugly loss to an Edmonton team that had lost 10 straight into a spectacular overtime win for Winnipeg that had everyone in the Jets dressing room patting each other on the backs.

On a night when both of Edmonton’s goals went in off deflections, the Jets found some fitting justice late in the game when Dustin Byfuglien deflected the game-tying goal behind Oilers netminder Ben Scrivens. Then Mathieu Perreault notched the game-winner on a tip-in just 17 seconds into overtime.

“We didn’t give up,” said Pavelec. “We had a bit of luck in the third and some great plays from the guys that kept us in the game… I thought we played very well defensively. You’re always going to give up something.

“Overall, I think it was a great game. They had two lucky bounces off our guys. But at the same time they hit the post twice. So good win. We need it.”

Indeed they did. With the Minnesota Wild also winning Wednesday, the Jets needed a victory to maintain their hold on the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

“We know if you want to be a playoff team and be a success in the playoffs,” said Pavelec, “you have to be great at home. In your building, you have to make it tough to play here.”

Pavelec, who has been playing less in recent weeks as the club gives an expanded role to a red-hot Michael Hutchinson, stopped 22 of 24 Oilers shots and made some big saves in the third period after the Jets went down 2-1 and the Oilers were swarming, looking for an insurance marker.

“It was the difference in the game — goaltending in the third period,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He made some big, big saves there to keep that game within one and give us a chance to win.”

Maurice also credited the Oilers with a feisty game and sounded like a man who realized his team had dodged a bullet.

“They were battling hard on every puck and they were not making it easy,” Maurice said of the Oilers. “But that being said, we certainly didn’t make it easy on ourselves… It wasn’t our best night.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek