{"id":19975,"date":"2017-12-09T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-12-09T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=19975"},"modified":"2017-12-09T13:45:09","modified_gmt":"2017-12-09T18:45:09","slug":"opportunity-knocking-ondrej-pavelec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/12\/09\/opportunity-knocking-ondrej-pavelec\/","title":{"rendered":"Opportunity Knocking for Ondrej Pavelec"},"content":{"rendered":"

There have been whispers regarding Ondrej Pavelec<\/a><\/strong> of the New York Rangers<\/a> getting his chance between the pipes again. However, it is safe to say that he was just as surprised as fans to be in the starting lineup against the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a>\u00a0earlier this week.\u00a0 With Henrik Lundqvist<\/a><\/strong> out with the flu, it meant a quick re-shuffle. Was opportunity knocking for Pavelec to show he still has something to bring to the ice?<\/p>\n

Opportunity Knocking for Ondrej Pavelec<\/h1>\n

Pavelec, now at a milestone age of 30, signed a one-year contract<\/a>\u00a0with the Rangers to be their backup goalie. First drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets<\/a>) in 2005, he plays a very unconventional style. Pavelec has good size at 6-feet-3-inches and 212-pounds, contrasting with his quick movement on the puck. His best season to date was 2014-15 with Winnipeg. He put up a personal best record of 22-16-8 and a .920 save percentage that year.<\/p>\n

A Slippery Slope for Pavelec<\/h2>\n

Some may say he long ago passed his prime. Last season for Winnipeg he only played five games, as he spent most of the year in the AHL, and also suffered a serious knee injury. In those five games, he had a mere .880 save percentage. This season has not started much better. In\u00a0seven appearances, Pavelec has a .899 save percentage.\u00a0Playing behind the legendary Lundqvist has meant that Pavelec does not get a lot of opportunities. In his seven appearances, only five are starts. He also faces the tough task of following\u00a0Cam Talbot<\/a><\/strong> and Antti Raanta<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>as the Rangers second string. Both Talbot and Raanta were seen as top-notch back-ups and left New York for starting opportunities.<\/p>\n

A comparison to Raanta, who went to Arizona Coyotes as part of the Derek Stepan<\/a><\/strong> trade, is not favourable. His first year with the Rangers, Raanta started 18 games\u00a0and made 24 appearances. He earned a record of 11-6-2 in those games, with a .919 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against-average. The following season was even better. Raanta started 26 games and had a record of 16-8-2. During this time, he had a .922 save percentage and a 2.26 goals-against-average. This poses the question, is Pavelec capable of providing this type of goaltending up when needed? So far, the stats have been underwhelming,<\/p>\n

Is there still hope?<\/h2>\n

Pavelec played a solid game against the Penguins, helping the Rangers to a 4-3 overtime win. The Penguins have had his number over the years, as Pavelec is just 2-13-1 with a 4.20 goals-against-average against them in his career. Things were different on Tuesday, as he saved 41 out of 44 shots on goal that night, and even got a little help from the Pens.<\/p>\n

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o dear penguins \ud83d\ude2c pic.twitter.com\/jUjFEqf77Z<\/a><\/p>\n

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) December 6, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n