Starting netminder Ondrej Pavelec was absolutely porous in his last four starts before suffering what the Jets are calling a lower-body injury, and his goals against average and save percentage both flirting with mediocrity at 2.97 and .902 respectively.
Al Montoya has been holding down the fort while Pavelec has been on the mend and sporting vastly superior numbers all the way across the board - but predictably, the results in the standings have been mixed as Montoya is 2-2-0 since he took over top billing after Pavelec left in the first period of the Jets' 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers on March 14th.
Overall, the Jets' haven't done themselves any favors down the stretch thus far, seemingly falling further out of the race with a 2-5-3 record in the month of March, including an 0-3-3 skid in the six games before Pavelec went down, and now are six points behind the Phoenix Coyotes for eighth seed in the Western Conference with just 10 games to play.
Needless to say, times are desperate for the Jets - even more so considering that their final ten games may be the toughest in the league with seven of those on the road and all but one against teams that currently qualify for the post season.
Pavelec will not play Monday night in Dallas, which is the first stop on a five game roadie that will go a long ways in deciding the Jets' playoff fate - with the California gauntlet of San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim next in succession before a date with the Coyotes in Phoenix, coach Paul Maurcie hoping that he's healthy enough for Thursday night's clash against the Kings.
Inching forward," Maurice said to reporters on Sunday of Pavelec's recovery. "He’s not playing tomorrow."
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