Ondrej Pavelec will have a good seat for the World Cup of Hockey, at least.
The Winnipeg Jets goalie and Czech Republic native will sit back and watch Petr Mrazek and Michal Neuvirth battle it out for the starting gig at the upcoming international tournament, coach Josef Jandac has disclosed.
"The tournament is short and there is no time to let all three goalies play," Jandac said, according to Michael Langr of NHL.com. "We are planning to have only two goaltenders in the games and Pavelec will be the third one."
It makes sense, seeing as Pavelec posted the lowest save percentage of the three in five-on-five situations in 2015-16.
| Player | Team | Games | 5-on-5 SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petr Mrazek | Red Wings | 54 | 93.07 |
| Michal Neuvirth | Flyers | 32 | 93.03 |
| Ondrej Pavelec | Jets | 33 | 91.84 |
(Courtesy: Corsica Hockey)
Pavelec played in four games for the Czech Republic at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, posting a save percentage of .889.
However, he rebounded at the 2015 World Championship, leading his country to a bronze medal game appearance - a loss to the United States - while finishing the tournament with a .912 save percentage in nine games.
Clearly that performance wasn't enough, and while he's the most experienced of the three goalies on the World Cup roster, clearly it's time to hand the reins to one of the younger, more talented options.
