Jets lose Pavelec after collision with Doan but beat Coyotes
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec left Saturday night's game after the second period with a lower-body injury, but Winnipeg still managed its second straight win after six consecutive losses, beating the Arizona Coyotes 3-2.
Pavelec suffered the injury during a collision with Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who drove extremely hard to the net. Doan, who scored Arizona's first goal, received a two-minute minor for goaltender interference on the play, as Pavelec's momentum took him into his net and knocked it off.
Doan on collision: “I’m trying to get to the net. He dove for it, hit the puck, hit my skate and kind of lost my balance and got pushed."
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) November 22, 2015
More Doan: "I was almost on the ice when we hit. I really didn’t mean to run into him. Once I was going down, there’s not much I can do."
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) November 22, 2015
The Jets netminder made 20 saves on 22 shots, and finished the second period after the collision. Michael Hutchinson took over in the crease to start the third.
Pavelec came into the game with underwhelming numbers: a .906 save percentage, 2.81 GAA, and five wins in 14 games. He reportedly left the arena on crutches, according to CTV Winnipeg's Shawn Churchill.
Hutchinson, meanwhile, picked up the win, making seven saves in the third period. Chris Thorburn scored the game-winning goal shorthanded.
The Coyotes ended a four-game road trip 1-3.