Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec #31 of the Winnipeg Jets defends the net as Jonathan Rheault #52 and George Parros #22 of the Florida Panthers attempt to dig the puck away from Paul Postma #4 at the BB&T Center on March 8, 2013 in Sunrise, Florida. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images/AFP)
It’s a good sign that the Winnipeg Jets got points in three of four games on their just-completed road trip and still weren’t happy.
After a very rough start in Florida last Tuesday, the Jets elevated their game and picked up five points in the final three games of the swing, winning in Tampa Bay and Florida and losing in a shootout at New Jersey.
The points put them in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race with 14 of their remaining 23 games to be played on home ice. Now sporting a 12-11-2 record for 26 points, the Jets are giving themselves a chance to make the playoffs.
And yet … They are still saying and doing things that make you wonder if they have what it takes to be a playoff team.
Take, for example, Sunday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Devils. New Jersey had 10 shots on goal and was up 2-0 before the Jets even heard the alarm clock. It could have been much worse, had goaltender Ondrej Pavelec not been on top of his game.
