Flames Help Jets Reach the Playoffs, Pavelec Brilliant

The Winnipeg Jets might have been shootout losers in Denver on Thursday night, but for the first time since arriving in Winnipeg in 2011, the Jets are headed to the post-season.

And they should send the Calgary Flames a thank you card.

Ondrej Pavalec was brilliant again: three straight shutouts.

The Jets lost 1-0 in a shootout to the Colorado Avalanche as Avs goalie Reto Berra not only stopped 40 shots, but improved to 6-0 in shootouts this season. Because the Jets didn’t win, they needed help from the Calgary Flames.

And they got it.

At the Saddledome, Jiri Hudler had two goals and an assist as he led the Flames to a 3-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, eliminating L.A. from the post-season and guaranteeing the Jets a shot at the 2015 Stanley Cup.

The Jets have one game remaining in the regular season – Saturday at MTS Centre against the Flames. Kind of fitting.

In Denver on Thursday, Avs goalie Reto Berra was the story. The 28-year-old journeyman Swiss netminder foiled the Jets at every turn as Winnipeg outshot the Avalanche 40-21, but nothing got past Berra.

Blake Wheeler will have nightmares. He had Berra beaten in the dying seconds of regulation time, but Berra manager to keep a rebound out of the net. Then Wheeler had Berra beaten again in the dying seconds of overtime, but somehow the Colorado goaltender got a leg across to deflect away a perfect wrap-around opportunity.

Berra stops Wheeler in the shootout.

Then in the shootout, Berra stopped both Wheeler and Andrew Ladd while Ryan O’Reilly and Matt Duchene beat Ondrej Pavelec and that’s how it ended.

But don’t knock Pavelec. He was magnificent and currently has three straight road shutouts to his credit. He beat Minnesota 2-0 in St. Paul on Monday, then beat the Blues 1-0 in St. Louis on Tuesday and then played 65 minutes without allowing a goal to the Avalanche in Denver. It was a virtuoso performance at the exact time of the season when his team needed it most.

Meanwhile, there was some bad news on Thursday night. Jets leftwinger Mathieu Perreault injured his leg after being checked to the ice by Zach Redmond at 5:42 of the second period. He tried to come back, but couldn’t and left the bench for the remainder of the game.

With Toby Enstrom injured and Dustin Byfuglien suspended for four games, the Jets went 3-0-1 and grabbed seven of a possible eight points. With help from the Flames, the Jets were able to make an announcement the club has been dying to make for four years:

“The Winnipeg Jets announced today that individual game tickets for Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Western Conference quarterfinal will go on sale on Tuesday, April 14 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets for game 6, if necessary, will be made available once that game is confirmed. Individual game tickets for the Western Conference Quarterfinal are priced between $107.75 and $340.00 per game. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.winnipegjets.com/tickets .”

The bad news: Mathieu Perreault is down.

Despite the loss, the Jets are 42-26-13 and now have an X beside their name in the NHL standings. With a point on Thursday, the Jets tied a franchise record with 97 points (2006-07). They are still one win behind the franchise record of 47 victories. Meanwhile, the Jets have allowed only 208 goals against this season. The previous franchise low was 237, a mark they set last season.

So there is one final game before the playoffs. Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at MTS Centre. It’s on TSN3.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com