Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/laine-loses-teenager-tag- 480309243.html Laine loses teenager tag By: Mike McIntyre Nobody gave Patrik Laine the bumps. And there was no rousing rendition of Happy Birthday sung in the locker room. But Matt Hendricks did give Laine a shaving cream pie to the face, while Nikolaj Ehlers offered up a barb about the gift he was planning to give his buddy. "My company. It’s pretty priceless," Ehlers deadpanned. Laine said goodbye to his teens on Thursday by turning 20. He had no big plans to mark the occasion, save for spending some time with family in town and playing some video games, of course. "We gave him a couple hugs and high-fives. He's not a teenager anymore, so that's positive," said forward Bryan Little. So does Laine feel any wiser now that he's one year older? "I don’t think so. I’ve always been wise. It’s not going to just change for the day. I’m still wise. I like it this way," said Laine, who sits third all-time for regular-season goals scored by a teenager with 80. "I’m happy with my numbers as a teenager. Now I’m disappointed that it’s over but I’m happy what I was able to do before my 20th birthday. It’s nice to be here," Laine said Thursday. He's got two goals already in this playoff series and said he's looking forward to lighting the lamp for a first time as a 20-year-old. "I think it feels the same, hopefully," he said. Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he thinks the best is yet to come for his Finnish star. "I don’t want to put a ceiling on the guy, so I don’t want to tell you how important he is to us just yet. I think he’s got a lot of room to get better," said Maurice. ________________________________________ Maurice didn't hide his frustration with the fact the NHL suspended defenceman Josh Morrissey for one game following his unpenalized cross-check to the neck of Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal in Game 4. Maurice believed it was an accidental play worthy of a fine, at most. "I’m disappointed, and then you just move on. I’m not holding anything back from you, biting my tongue. I’m not. I was disappointed with the way it went. And there wouldn’t be a coach in the NHL who had a guy taken out of his lineup that wouldn’t be. So you just, nothing more. Move on," he said Thursday. "The NHL’s got a job to do, and it’s an important one. I do think they weigh it heavily. They don’t want take players out of the lineup. They’re trying to sometimes be real consistent with a moving target and it’s not always easy. Like I said, we’re disappointed that he’s out. Josh has played two years in the league and he’s had two cross-checking penalties, one of them was coincidental. So it’s not his game. But it’s dealt with and over." Morrissey skated with the Jets on Thursday but was not made available to speak after practice about missing Game 5. ________________________________________ Don't give the Wild any life. That was the universal message coming out of the Jets dressing room following Thursday's practice. "You know what, you say it all the time, but it’s just another game for us. We’re pretty excited, we love playing in front of our own fans. It’s a pretty tough place for opposing teams to play. A chance to close out the series here is pretty exciting. We’re going to be hungry (Friday)," said defenceman Ben Chiarot. Little said Minnesota will likely come with their strongest effort as they try to keep their season alive. "We're going to expect their best. Those last games to close out a series are the hardest. It's another part of the learning process. We've got to figure out a way to beat these guys and move on," he said. Ehlers said nobody is getting ahead of themselves at this stage. "You want to win the series. You don’t want to give them anything. You want to win Game 5 and move on. Everybody wants to do that. But it’s not going to be as easy as it sounds," said Ehlers, who is looking for his first playoff goal but has potted a pair of assists and looked dangerous at times. He isn't fretting about not lighting the lamp yet. "We're up 3-1 in games right now. I honestly couldn't care less. It'd be nice to score. It'd be nice to help this team even more, but we're up 3-1. I'm just going out there and playing the best game I can to help this team win," said Ehlers. "I felt really good in my last game. I felt really confident and comfortable, and thought it was the best game I've played in these four games. Even without getting points you can play a good game and be happy with the way you played." __________________________________________ Winnipeg Jets' Matt Hendricks during team practice last Tuesday. Hendricks has now shed the yellow non-contact jersey and has been cleared to play. While the status of defencemen Tyler Myers, Toby Enstrom and Dmitry Kulikov and forward Mathieu Perreault remains somewhat of a mystery, Maurice did offer up some information on another wounded player Thursday. Hendricks, who shed his non-contact jersey earlier in the week, is good to go. However, he is likely to be a healthy scratch, joining forwards Marko Dano and Shawn Matthias. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/rookie-sami-niku-ready-to-play-if-jets-need-him- 480298763.html Rookie Sami Niku ready to play if Jets need him Defenceman will see action in Game 5 if Tyler Myers and Toby Enstrom not ready By: Mike McIntyre There is plenty of mystery and intrigue surrounding the Winnipeg Jets blue line as they sit on the cusp of putting the Minnesota Wild out to pasture. Rookie defenceman Sami Niku says he's ready to make his NHL playoff debut if needed. "I think I'm not guy who is nervous. It's normal game for me," the smooth-skating 21-year-old Finn said following Thursday's team practice. "I'm pretty confident. I know I can play here." A one-game suspension to top-pairing defenceman Josh Morrissey will keep him out of the lineup for Friday's Game 5 at Bell MTS Place, in which the Jets have a chance to win their first playoff series in franchise history. They've taken three of the first four games against the Wild, who will be desperately fighting to keep their season alive. Niku's number is likely to be called if one of Tyler Myers and Toby Enstrom can't go. The two veteran defencemen are sidelined with lower-body injuries and didn't skate Thursday. Enstrom has yet to play in the series, while Myers was knocked out in Game 3 and missed Game 4. Dmitry Kulikov is also injured but isn't believed to be close to a return. Jets coach Paul Maurice wasn't offering any hints Thursday as to what his blue line might look like when the puck is dropped just after 6:30 p.m. "I wouldn’t rule anybody out," said Maurice. Niku has but one NHL game under his belt, a late-season appearance in Montreal in which he scored his first goal on his first shot. He's had a remarkable pro debut with the Manitoba Moose and was just named the AHL's top defenceman. He's only the second rookie in the 60-year history of the award to win it. "He has one game, one goal, so you have to think he’s going to score if he plays," good friend and fellow countryman Patrik Laine said Thursday with a smile. "It would be huge for him but it’s a whole different game he played in Montreal. I think he’s always liking challenges and he’s played in big games before. It will be exciting for him and for me as well." If Niku plays, he'd be joining a group that includes fellow rookie Tucker Poolman (who made his playoff debut in Game 4), plus depth defencemen in journeyman Joe Morrow and Ben Chiarot. Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba would be the only members of Winnipeg's regular top six to dress. "I think you hear every year teams talking about needing eight or nine defenceman when you make the playoffs. I think that’s the thing here. We have great depth," Chiarot said Thursday. "We just have good players. In the room, when everyone kind of conforms to the same system. Everyone knows what they’re doing out there. It’s not like the new guy isn’t on the same page. Match that with good depth and it makes us pretty successful." Maurice said not having a player like Morrissey available for such a big game is not ideal, but it isn't keeping him awake at night. "For sure, it’s a hole. We’ve, unfortunately over the past four years, gotten to be pretty good at having defencemen out.