Maybe it's Pavelec, maybe it's not.
Maybe it's the bottom six, maybe it's not.
Maybe it's the special teams, maybe it's not.
Maybe it's the injuries, maybe it's not.
See the process above- that's called turbulence. A whole bunch of things happening, or not, all at once to create calm or turbulent air that allows the Jets to succeed...or not. Last night they were down 3-0 in the first to Calgary and managed to bring it within two before a final goal sealed the game for the hometown Flames.
As good as the Jets played against Vancouver they could not muster much against Calgary and that's not for lack of trying. They simply could not beat a goalie who was Pavelec's equal, while it appears, the Flames had no problem.
The Jets dominated possession but if you want to use more aeronautic metaphors they simply could never get to cruising altitude, or speed. In the third the Flames clogged it up and made it near impossible to create much in the way of serious scoring chances.
One thing I found interesting was Blake Wheeler's comments between the second and third periods: he gave the Flames no respect. None. Said they 'couldn't hand the puck very well' among other things that led me to believe he's not just auditioning for the leadership role of the team he's putting his own brand out there right now. It was refreshing and honest and frankly if this group is going to push through adversity that might be the style of leadership that youth on the team will respect, and more importantly, respond to.
So what else does this mean for the Jets as they head home to host Chicago, and the return of Andrew Ladd, on Friday looking to make another attempt at a 3-game win streak? Probably not much as the Jets and Oilers sit tied at 63 points above the Leafs. The Jets have 3 games in hand though at some point will catch up so don't think for a second that Edmonton's experience in being bad goes to waste.
It's hard to get excited when there's nothing else to lose and so little to win for but now is the time to hold your resolve Jets fans. Change is coming this summer again and if you can make it until then there could be a change or reward or two that makes things interesting again.
Time to do a daily draft lottery update:
Today the first ten picks went like this:
Oilers Canucks Blue Jackets Leafs Jets Flames Sabres Coyotes Canadiens Senators