New York Rangers: Ondrej Pavelec must get more playing time

New York Rangers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has been making a strong case for more playing time in his sporadic opportunities. It is time to grant him more chances to help the team win.

It is clear at this stage that New York Rangers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has earned the right to receive more playing time.

I’ll get right to the point. Pavelec has played three games in the last month and has been sensational in each outing.

He made 41 saves on December 5. against the Pittsburgh Penguins to lead the Rangers to a 4-3 victory when Henrik Lundqvist was out with the flu.

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One week later Pavelec would earn the Rangers one point in the standings in a game the Rangers had no business being in against the Dallas Stars where they fell 2-1 in a shootout.

The Stars outshot the Rangers 45-25 overall while Rangers struggled to get things going offensively the whole contest. Pavelec stood tall the entire game allowing only one goal which allowed the Rangers a chance to tie at the end of regulation to eventually force the shootout.

The most recent outing for Pavelec featured another high-end opponent in the Washington Capitals who sit only a few points ahead of the Rangers in the Metropolitan division.

Pavelec stopped all 30 shots he would face through regulation and overtime along with both shootout attempts against T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin to snag the Rangers another vital two points in a stellar 1-0 victory.

So far, Pavelec has only started six games to date while Lundqvist has 31. I think that if Head Coach Alain Vigneault would like Lundqvist to have any juice in the tank whatsoever come April, he must trust Pavelec with more time in the cage.

He has stopped 115 of 119 shots against three difficult opponents while earning five out of a possible six points in those three games. It’s no fluke, this guy can and wants to play.

There have been a couple of occasions where Lundqvist has played twice within 24 hours this season which is not healthy. He has been the Rangers best player this year and is always thirsty to play but there needs to be rest.

Former backups Cam Talbot and Anti Raanta were used at a much higher frequency when Lundqvist was healthy in recent seasons. Although Lundqvist is having a better season then when those guys were backups, it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be rested. Especially when there is a competent backup on the bench with years of NHL experience.

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Heading into the season, Pavelec’s expectations were obviously not high as he was only signed to a one-year deal, but once again it looks as though the Rangers have found themselves a solid second option behind Lundqvist.

Lundqvist is silencing everyone who thinks his prime has passed, but it doesn’t mean he is invincible. Let Pavelec handle a bit more of the share and keep Lundqvist sharp for the long-term. Pavelec has earned the Rangers trust, let’s see what they can milk out of him.

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