Ondrej Pavelec is expected to remain the Winnipeg Jets' No. 1 goaltender for now, but backup Al Montoya likely earned himself more time with his latest effort.
The Philadelphia Flyers, on the other hand, have struggled to get consistent goaltending - the latest issue to plague them during their season-long road struggles.
The Jets will try to win for the fourth time in five home games on Tuesday night when they take on the Flyers, who have lost six of seven on the road.
With Pavelec out with the flu, Montoya made his second start and came up big with 33 saves in a 1-0 win over Ottawa on Saturday. It was a performance Winnipeg (5-5-1) needed after losing four of its previous five contests.
"I felt good and I felt comfortable out there," Montoya said. "I felt like I did everything to prepare for this game.''
Montoya picked up his third career shutout and may have earned more playing time with Pavelec slumping lately. While he's expected to start on Tuesday, Pavelec has lost four of his last five starts with a 4.26 goals-against average.
Despite a 3.62 GAA in this series, Pavelec is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts against Philadelphia.
The Jets haven't given either goalie much support recently, scoring three goals in their last two games despite a combined 62 shots.
Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler pace the team with four goals apiece, but Winnipeg leads the NHL in scoring by defensemen with 34 points behind Tobias Enstrom's 13.
Ladd, however, has seven goals in his last nine games against the Flyers.
Alex Ponikarovsky broke a five-game scoreless streak with the go-ahead goal on Monday.
The Jets appear poised for a big night offensively against a Philadelphia team that ranks near the bottom of the league in goals allowed (37).
While the Flyers (5-7-1) had won three of four during a four-game homestand, they opened a six-game road trip on Monday with a 5-2 loss at Toronto for their fourth straight road defeat.
The Flyers haven't had much success against the Jets either, losing 10 of 12 in the series. However, they snapped a four-game skid with a 5-4 win at Winnipeg last February.
Wayne Simmonds ended a four-game scoreless streak with a goal against the Maple Leafs, and keyed the win with a goal and an assist in the last meeting at Winnipeg.
Matt Read leads the Flyers with five goals, but was denied a goal in a third consecutive game on Monday.
Philadelphia has been outscored 15-6 and converted just 1 of 18 power-play chances during its road skid.
With games on back-to-back nights, backup goalie Brian Boucher could make his first start after starter Ilya Bryzgalov was pulled in the second period against the Maple Leafs.
Bryzgalov made 10 saves on 14 shots before being replaced by Boucher, who finished with nine stops the rest of the way.
"We shot ourselves in the foot and it seemed to unravel a little bit," coach Peter Laviolette said. "… and we couldn't get back on track."
Bryzgalov, though, is 3-0-1 with a 2.18 GAA in four career starts against the Jets, while Boucher is winless in his last seven starts.
Team Comparison
| Team | G | W | L | OTL | Pts | Standings | GF | GA | Road/Home | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Winnipeg | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 3rd Southeast | 30 | 37 | 3-2-0 Home |
![]() | Philadelphia | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 4th Atlantic | 31 | 38 | 1-6-0 Road |
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