Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/scheifele-out-six-to-eight-weeks-hes-going-to-have- a-real-difficult-time-coach-says-467009853.html
Scheif on a shelf Jets' No.1 centre out six to eight weeks after injury
By: Jeff Hamilton
The thousands of Winnipeg Jets fans who were cloaked in a deep silence at Bell MTS Place Wednesday night, fearing the worst after they watched one of the team’s best players crash hard into the boards and eventually limp to the dressing room, got the answer they were dreading on Thursday — even if it was the one they likely expected.
Less than 24 hours after a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers, Jets coach Paul Maurice was back in front of the podium to deliver the bad news. Without taking a single question, Maurice broke another silence that had been brewing, this time among the local media, by declaring his No. 1 centreman, Mark Scheifele, would miss between six to eight weeks with what the team is calling an upper-body injury.
"It’s going to be a while, we’re going to have to get used to it. In some ways that makes it easier," said Maurice. "Certainly, you don’t want him out for that amount of time but we’re not waiting for the weekend for him to come back and make all things better."
Schiefele suffered the injury midway though the second period, following a legal hit from Oilers defenceman Brandon Davidson. The momentum from the collision resulted in Scheifele drifting towards the end boards behind Edmonton’s net, where he appeared to jam his right shoulder. A stunned crowd surrounded Scheifele as he lay withering in pain, with both player benches also looking on with concern. Scheifele would eventually leave the ice under his own power, with his left hand gripping the injured shoulder.
"From what we saw last night it didn’t look good, it didn’t sound good," said Jets centre Bryan Little. "It’s never something easy to see — one of your best players on the ice like that."
Fully aware of what the situation will mean for Scheifele, a self-proclaimed hockey nerd for how much time he invests in the game, Maurice was hardly in the mood to sugar coat what was to come for his 24-year-old centreman. He was in the middle of another breakout season, currently second on the Jets in scoring, with 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 38 games.
If he does end up being sidelined for the entire eight weeks, Scheifele will miss 22 games during that stretch. If he requires the minimum six weeks to recover, he’ll be out for the next 16.
"It’s going to be a real, real difficult thing for him to go through," said the Jets coach.
"It’s the mental part that... I know he will be back the day his human body is ready to be back because his diet is going to be perfect, his off-ice training is going to be perfect and he comes into the injury as a very, very fit man. So he gives himself the best chance (to recover quickly) but it’s going to be tough for him."
Scheifele has suffered longer-term injuries before, including a knee injury that forced him to miss the last 19 games of the 2013-14 season (the Jets went 7-9-3 during that stretch). He has missed 14 games over the past two seasons, but only three came during last year’s campaign.
The Jets (21-11-6), who, heading into Thursday’s set of games, were one point shy of the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division, are also sure to feel the pinch of Scheifele’s absence from the lineup. Scheifele averaged the most ice time of any Winnipeg forward, logging nearly 21 minutes per game, and was utilized in every situation. The Jets are already playing without defencemen Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom, both of whom were doing light drills ahead of practice.
To help fill the massive void left behind, Maurice will look to captain Blake Wheeler to centre the top line — a unit that will now consist of Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor on the wings.
"We’ll find out. It’s going to be tough," said Wheeler, when asked if he felt the Jets were well- equipped to get through such a shock to their lineup.
"It’s going to be one of those things where it may not look as pretty, we may not be quite as dangerous as we’re used to being but there’s still a lot of fight in our group. There’s still a lot of capable bodies in here to get the job done and that’s the key for us. We want to keep this thing afloat so when Mark comes back we’ll be even stronger for it."
Wheeler said he felt comfortable moving to centre, something he did Wednesday for the last half of the game and a few games last season when Scheifele was forced to miss time with a lower-body injury. Wheeler also played centre during his time with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and even started his NHL career there with the Boston Bruins.
Though he admitted there was likely to be a bit of an adjustment, he didn’t expect a dip in his play.
"I’m willing to do anything to help the team win and I think everyone is. We’ve had guys play out of position, had guys play hurt. That’s what this league calls for," said Wheeler. "I still intend on having an impact every time I’m on the ice, regardless of whether I’m playing centre or on the wing."
To keep the second line a scoring threat, Mathieu Perreault has been promoted from the fourth line to play with Nikolaj Ehlers, who shifts to the right wing, and Little at centre. The third line of Andrew Copp-Adam Lowry-Brandon Tanev remained intact, while Shawn Matthias and Marko Dano are expected to compete for a spot on the fourth line with centre Matt Hendricks and left- winger Joel Armia.
With Scheifele placed on injured reserve, the Jets have room on their roster to call up a player from the Manitoba Moose. That may result in Jack Roslovic, who is second in American League scoring with 15 goals and 35 points in 31 games, getting the call. Or perhaps Nic Petan, who has played 86 games with the Jets dating back to 2015-16 season, but only six this year.
Maurice seemed non-committal to that option, though, at least at this juncture, arguing there are two players in Matthias and Dano who have earned their spot in the lineup.
"We have enough good offensive players that we should be able to score enough goals. Maybe not as many with Mark out of our lineup but there’s enough offence there," said Maurice. "It’s going to be handling minutes and the defensive minutes…that’s the real challenge. I’ve got lots of confidence in our group." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/plenty-of-bumps-in-the-road-but-its-home- spectacular-home-for-jets-467017403.html
Plenty of bumps in the road, but it's home, spectacular home for Jets
By: Paul Wiecek
Everyone agrees home teams have an advantage in pro sports, with studies suggesting something in the area of a six per cent edge in NHL hockey all the way up to almost 20 per cent in MLS soccer.
What no one can agree on, however, is why.
Some people think it’s as simple as the crowd; there have been studies to support the idea that athletes get a psychological lift from cheering and can be deflated — but also motivated — by jeering.
Some people think it’s "home cooking" — a catch-all term to describe the comfort level we all experience when we’re in familiar surroundings.
And then there is the idea that home teams get the benefit of the doubt from referees, who studies have suggested are influenced — mostly subconsciously — to favour the home side.
But whatever the underlying reasons, what is not up for debate is that the Winnipeg Jets are enjoying a monstrous home-ice advantage right now.
A Jets team that has won just eight of 21 games on the road thus far improved to an eye- popping 13-3-1 at home Wednesday night with a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
It was Winnipeg’s 12th win at home in their last 14 games. Throw in a shootout loss at home in that run and the Jets have collected 25 of a possible 28 points at home since mid-October.
You want to know what this team’s greatest strength is? It’s not the forwards, the deep well of young talent or goaltending. It's the 41 games the Jets will have played at Bell MTS Place when the regular season draws to a close.
Only two other teams in the NHL — the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning and the apparition that is the Las Vegas Golden Knights — are converting home games into points on a more efficient basis than the Jets right now.
So what is it about these 2017-18 Jets that they are suddenly so dominating at home, even while continuing to limp through their road schedule?
The cheering helps, for sure, and Jets fans are a special breed. It was minus -26 C outside when the puck dropped Wednesday night in a game that was being broadcast on TV, in HD for those with Sportsnet in their cable lineup.
In any other city in the NHL, there’d have been empty seats. In Winnipeg, the building was full to the rafters long before Stacey Nattrass belted out the first note.
A fan base that has never wavered through thick and mostly thin is finally being rewarded for its loyalty with a team as good on the ice as the fans have been off it, and Jets Nation is lapping up every minute of it.
Yes, Winnipeg has the smallest building in the NHL, but on nights like Wednesday when the fans and the team are both fully engaged, it feels like an asset rather than a weakness.
It was loud, deafeningly loud, as it became clear Wednesday that it was the Jets rather than the red-hot Oilers — riding a four-game winning streak — who were the better team on this night.
And then it was silent, deathly silent, midway through the second period when Mark Scheifele went down. A crowd that is as knowledgeable as any in hockey instantly recognized this was something more than a player getting shaken up.
And so, what had until that point been a raucous post-Christmas party turned to deep concern, for the player and for the team, as Scheifele was helped from the ice. By Thursday afternoon, everyone’s worst fears were confirmed with the announcement that the team's No. 1 centre will be out six to eight weeks with an upper body injury that looked a lot like his right shoulder Wednesday night.
It’s a problem, a big problem, when your top-line centre goes down, especially when it happens with a couple of your defencemen — Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom — already out of the lineup with injuries.
But Scheifele's injury is also a moment for this franchise to once again showcase all the young talent we’ve heard so much about the last few years. It is a rare team that could have a Top 15 scorer in the NHL such as Scheifele go down and be able to respond, if the coaches and front office eventually choose, by calling up the second-best scorer in the AHL, Jack Roslovic.
And it’s also a rare team that could lose a player such as Scheifele in a one-goal game and still hang on to beat what was one of the hottest teams in the league heading into Christmas.
Keep calm, carry on and keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing at home this season — it’s a mantra as good as any.
So again, what is this magic elixir that has turned Portage and Donald into one of the most feared places to visit in all of the NHL?
Home cooking? Your own pillow feels as good in Winnipeg as it does anywhere else, I suppose.
And then there’s the officiating. For all the complaining fans do about the referees — and possibly, to some extent, because of it — the Jets seem to be getting a break in their building from the guys in black and white.
Winnipeg has had to kill penalties an average of just under four times per game while on the road this season, but barely three times a game on home ice. That helps; hug a referee the next time you see one.
But even more important has been the way the Jets have helped themselves this season when they’ve been on the power play at home. Winnipeg is second in the NHL right now with the man advantage at home, clicking at a mind-boggling 32.8 per cent rate that is more than double the 15.8 per cent — 21st in the league — the club has posted on the road this season.
Which is interesting, right? Is it possible the huge disparity between the Jets home and road records has nothing to do with cheering or home cooking or refereeing, but is simply a function of the huge disparity between the effectiveness of their power play at home and on the road?
Or, put another way, is shutting down sniper Patrik Laine, who leads the league in power-play goals with 10, also the key to shutting down the Jets?
Shhhh... hopefully no one will notice.
Look, whatever the reason, the Jets at home this season are the very best part of the Jets this season.
And that would seem to bode very well for their playoff chances going forward. Only one team in the NHL has played fewer games at home to this point than the Jets, who will now play 24 of their final 44 regular-season games here, including an exceedingly rare 10-game home stand that runs from the end of January into late-February.
The road to the playoffs goes through Winnipeg, in other words. With some luck, a big push through the current injuries and some better play on the road, the Jets are hoping the road to a Stanley Cup will travel through the Manitoba capital, too. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-moose/scheifeles-absence-on- moose-minds-467087943.html
Scheifele's absence on Moose minds No immediate call-up for farm team to replace Jets centre
By: Mike McIntyre
Opportunity hasn’t come knocking just yet. But the long-term injury to No. 1 Winnipeg centre Mark Scheifele could have a ripple effect within the organization sooner than later.
If the Jets decide to look beyond an internal team solution to fill the void, there are several attractive options on the farm. So, as the Manitoba Moose returned to the practice ice on Thursday afternoon following their holiday break, Scheifele’s extended absence was certainly on the minds of many.
Coach Pascal Vincent put his troops through a spirited, hour-long workout to try and shake off nearly a week of rust. The AHL-leading Moose (23-5-3) will look to extend their franchise-record streak of 16 games without a regulation defeat (15-0-1) when they host the San Jose Barracuda for a pair of games at Bell MTS Place on Saturday and Sunday.
For now, it appears the herd will remain intact with no immediate call-up coming. But should that change, three intriguing possibilities stand out.
Second-year pro Jack Roslovic is having a terrific season, currently tied for second in the American Hockey League (AHL) for scoring with 15 goals and 20 assists through 31 games.
He’s played plenty of centre this year and eats up big minutes, including a big role on the penalty kill, which is ranked second-best in the AHL. If the Jets wanted a skilled, versatile forward to step into their top six — not to mention one who has plenty of history and chemistry with Kyle Connor — Roslovic, 20, would make sense.
"Obviously, I feel for Mark. For that to happen to such a good player who’s having a really good season and is a leader up there, you feel for them. But nothing changes in my game. I just stay down here and wait for a call. If it happens to be now, it’s now. But if it happens to be down the road, then that’s the way it goes," Roslovic told the Free Press on Thursday.
He said the already stiff internal competition within the organization is likely to get even tougher going forward.
"When you’ve got a guy at the top of the ladder going down for a little bit, I’m sure a lot of people are going to try and make an impression on staff," Roslovic said.
Nic Petan began the year with the Jets, but was sent down to the Moose for more seasoning after going pointless in six games with the big club. He’s been especially hot of late, playing both centre and wing on the top line with Roslovic, and is up to a point-a-game pace with six goals and 18 assists in 24 games with the Moose.
"The mindset stays the same. It’s a tough situation, but I’m sure they’ll stay positive up there, and we need to stay positive down here," Petan, 22, said Thursday. "Whatever happens, happens. Our mindset doesn’t change. Whatever they choose to do, it’s really out of our control."
Unlike Roslovic, Petan has been given multiple looks at the NHL level so far and has yet to prove he belongs full-time, with just three goals and 16 assists through 86 career games. But that’s not to say his window is by any means closed.
Another option could be rugged winger Brendan Lemieux, who made his NHL debut with the Jets earlier this season and dressed for seven games.
The 21-year-old could be more of a fit in the bottom of the lineup given his playing style, although he’s shown plenty of offensive ability this season with the Moose, with nine goals and 11 assists in 20 games.
"It’s really unfortunate for Scheif. You feel for a guy like that. He takes really good care of himself. Obviously, the leader up there. He’s been having a really great year. So it’s really unfortunate. Never good to see," Lemieux said.
"On my end of things, nothing changes. I just keep doing what I’m doing. Stay ready. Right now, it looks like they’re going to go with the guys they have up there. A lot of guys have been sitting for a long time. It’s understandable."
Lemieux has often said he brings a unique skill set, which he believes adapts well to the NHL game — one he’ll continue to work on with the hope of getting back to the big leagues as soon as possible.
"Obviously, there are a lot of guys down here that are having great years. We all just want to keep this thing rolling, keep points coming our way as a team here. And the individual stuff, call- ups and whatnot, will take care of itself," he said. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/perreault-moves-up-as-coach-adjusts- lines-467087963.html
Perreault moves up as coach adjusts lines
By: Jeff Hamilton
It’s often said that one person’s misfortune is another person’s gain.
Perhaps no one knows this more than Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault, who is about to see a major boost in his ice time — and ultimately his role — with the Jets after an injury to No. 1 centreman Mark Scheifele.
With Scheifele set to miss the next six to eight weeks with an upper-body injury, it’s Perreault who is expected to benefit most from his absence. The gritty but skilled winger has jumped from the fourth line to the second unit, where he will line up on the left side with centreman Bryan Little and right-winger Nikolaj Ehlers.
"To me, it doesn’t really change anything — my game is going to be the same," Perreault said after the Jets practice Thursday.
"But I’m excited to get an opportunity to play a little bit more, and with some skilled players."
Perreault has been a productive piece for the Jets this season, despite playing limited minutes. He has 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 26 games, while averaging just 12 minutes and 24 seconds of ice time per game.
While he was able to bring out the best in linemates Matt Hendricks and Joel Armia, Perreault will now be expected to help drive a second line that will not only be expected to fill the net, but will have to do so against the opponent’s top lines.
"We all understand where Mark fits in the pecking order, how important he is to our team," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said.
"Matty Perreault isn’t happy that Mark is out, but he’s pretty happy he’s going to play more minutes."
Maurice called Perreault the obvious choice when it came to promoting a depth player to a top- line role. Not only was Perreault able to add a scoring touch to the bottom six, but he also did so without complaining about his role or ice time.
"We were just real fortunate that Matty handled that situation the way he did. He liked playing there," Maurice said. "He hasn’t knocked on my door once to talk about a role change or a minute change. And that was true in the year or two past, where I had played him with Lowry and Armia at times — played him with all the different centremen."
If the Jets (21-11-6), who headed into Thursday just one point shy of the Nashville Predators for top spot in the Central Division, are to keep pace with the best teams in the league, it’s going to be more than Perreault who has to pick up his game.
"We’re coming to a tough part of the year, it’s an important part of the season for us," said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who has been moved from right wing to centre on the top line with Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. "We’re still going to be on the road here quite a bit in January, but we’re just going to have to fight."
Before the Jets hit the road for a two-game trip through Edmonton and Colorado, they welcome the New York Islanders to town tonight. The Islanders (20-13-4) disposed of the Jets 5-2 the last time they played Dec. 23, in what was one of Winnipeg’s worst games of the season.
"We should be a little ornery about that one — it was a butt-kicking, and we had three days to stew over it over Christmas break," Wheeler said. "We intend on having a better effort. But that being said, they’re a really good team playing well. It doesn’t guarantee you anything, but at home we expect to have a better effort than we had the other night." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/scheifeles-injury-a-2017-lowlight- 467126543.html
Scheifele's injury a 2017 lowlight Rants and raves aplenty for Jets this past year
By: Scott Campbell
With 2017 winding down, it’s time to reflect on some of the good and bad things that happened within the Winnipeg Jets organization during the year.
The Bad
1) It was almost a year ago (Jan. 7) when Buffalo Sabres defenceman Jake McCabe laid rookie Patrik Laine out cold on the ice with a bodycheck that shook Jets nation.
While he returned in less than three weeks time, there were many nervous days for Winnipeg fans as he recovered from a concussion.
2) Speaking of anxious times, Thursday was Day 1 of the Mark Scheifele watch after he suffered an upper-body injury in the Jets’ 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. This put the club into a tie for second place with the St. Louis Blues in the Central Division heading into Thursday night’s National Hockey League action. Scheifele is out six to eight weeks with his injury.
What a way to start and end 2017.
3) To complete the "bad" section, the Jets finished last season in April, once again not making the playoffs.
What else would you call six months of terrible systems and special-teams play, non-existent discipline and poor defensive work?
Goaltending issues, along with a lot of injuries, finished any chance the Jets had of making the playoffs. While it was nice for the players to win seven meaningless games in a row at the end of league play, it was really only putting lipstick on a pig of a season.
The Good
1) This part of 2017 really started for the Jets in the weeks leading up to the National Hockey League expansion and entry drafts in late June.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights to ensure they would choose Chris Thorburn in the expansion draft, allowing Cheveldayoff to keep all of his team’s important players together (the Jets moved from 13th to 24th overall in the entry draft and gave up a third-round pick in the 2019 draft).
This was helped in a big way by Toby Enstrom agreeing to waive the no-movement clause in his contract, a selfless and appreciated move.
2) The "Summer of Chevy" was next, where the GM plugged two holes in the lineup, landing unrestricted free-agent goaltender Steve Mason and defenceman Dmitri Kulikov.
Cheveldayoff hadn’t been known as a GM who’d see needs in the organization and go out and address them, making his deals here a major change in his philosophy.
This signalled a move from "draft-and-develop" mode to a commitment to "winning now."
When the Jets were in their playoff run in the 2014-15 season, he did a decent job of filling out the roster with good players — but under different circumstances. The February trade of Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian to the Buffalo Sabres made an immediate, positive impact on the lineup.
While there were many other parts to the deal, Tyler Myers and Drew Stafford made significant contributions to Winnipeg’s run and he acquired some good depth players elsewhere.
Kane had demanded a trade years earlier, and friction with his teammates made it impossible for Cheveldayoff to hang onto him any longer.
While those moves were forced upon Cheveldayoff by circumstances, 2017 will be remembered for a summer in which the Jets truly committed to icing a winning hockey club.
It showed in the expansion draft deals and UFA spending of more than $8 million a year for a couple of players to plug holes in the lineup.
While the club blandly states that playoffs are the goal before every season, this year they meant it.
Owner Mark Chipman, Cheveldayoff and Paul Maurice all spoke the same language in the pre- season, and the players agreed. It’s "playoffs or bust" and "do some serious damage once we get there."
Heavy words, but heading into their seventh year in Winnipeg it was overdue by a year or two.
While there were mistakes made along the way, there’s legitimate hope that comes from a proactive off-season.
The Jets not only committed to winning at the NHL level, but have the Manitoba Moose lighting up the American Hockey League.
Sitting in first overall, and rolling along at a record pace, they’re having a dream season. After suffering through losing years, this was a badly needed change in the development of the farm club in Winnipeg.
When Pascal Vincent was named head coach of the Moose in May, 2016, the move was questioned by many fans.
Vincent had been under fire for his unsuccessful power-play work with the Jets as an assistant coach. Chipman is also very loyal to his employees, so it wasn’t a big reach for some to think the Jets had just moved him over to the Moose rather than fire him.
However, Vincent has obviously been the right guy for the job. Players are flourishing and developing in a winning environment.
A lot has changed in the 61/2 years since Jets 2.0 took off. But 2017 will be remembered as the year they moved their thinking forward.
While they look to become perennial playoff contenders and enjoy success at both levels, the next step for the Jets is just getting into the playoffs.
They’ve walked their talk so far and deserve to be where they sit, although nothing is coming easily.
Expect it to stay that way.
Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/scheifele-out-six-to-eight-weeks- wheeler-moves-to-centre-perreault-gets-a-promotion
Scheifele out six-to-eight weeks: Wheeler moves to centre, Perreault gets a promotion
By Ken Wiebe
Six-to-eight eight weeks is an awfully long time for a team to be without its first-line centre.
For many teams in the NHL, an injury of the magnitude Winnipeg Jets pivot Mark Scheifele suffered on Wednesday when he crashed into the boards after being checked by Edmonton Oilers defenceman Brandon Davidson at 7:37 of the second period, would be a crushing blow.
And ultimately, it could still be, though the Jets plan to do everything in their power to avoid watching their promising season go down the drain.
“It’s a huge hole. (Scheifele) is one of the best in the game and a huge part of what we do,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who slides over to centre on the top line with Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine for the time being. “He’s really developed into a leader on our team and it’s a big void. We’re going to have to pull together as a team so we don’t miss him too much. Obviously, we’re going to miss him but you want to try to do the best you can without him.”
Going into Friday’s home game against the New York Islanders, the Jets are 21-11-6 and sit one point behind the Nashville Predators in the chase for top spot in the Central Division.
The words coming out of the Jets locker room on Thursday hit the right notes.
There was obvious concern for a friend and teammate being injured and being out for an extended period of time, but there was also the realization the Jets can’t waste any time wallowing in self-pity about a key cog being out of the lineup.
“I’ve got lots of confidence in our group,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We have enough good offensive players that we should be able to score enough goals – maybe not as many with (Scheifele) out of our lineup, but there’s enough offence there. It’s going to be handling minutes and the defensive minutes, that’s the real challenge.
“We all understand where (Scheifele) fits in the pecking order, of how important he is to our team. It’s going to be a while to get used to, so we’re not going to be sitting here waiting for him. In some ways, that makes it easier. Certainly, you don’t want him out for that amount of time, but we’re not waiting for the weekend for him to come back to make all things better.”
Ultimately, it’s the actions of the remaining healthy players that will determine whether or not the Jets can survive the loss of a guy who produced 15 goals and 38 points in 38 games this season while playing in all situations, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game.
“It’s not just one guy stepping up or filling in that role, it’s everyone stepping up their game and doing the best they can and bringing more to the table,” said Jets centre Bryan Little. “We’ve got guys that can step into the lineup and guys that can switch positions now and even guys with the (Manitoba) Moose that can step in and play. We have that depth that we’ve been missing the past few years. We’re well-adjusted for situations like this.”
For much of this season, the discussion has revolved around the Jets having depth not just on the NHL roster, but with a strong push from below by players in the minors who are knocking on the door when it comes to securing the next recall.
The fact second-year pro Jack Roslovic, who sits second in American Hockey League scoring with 15 goals and 35 points in 31 games, wasn’t immediately recalled raised a few eyebrows, but the Moose just came out of the holiday break on Thursday.
It won’t be a shock to see Roslovic or somebody else summoned from the minors before Scheifele is ready to return.
For the time being, the Jets will attempt to fill the void internally.
Having the game taken away from him is going to be a mental challenge for Scheifele, but you can expect him to do everything he can to speed up the recovery process.
Can the Jets do enough to stay above the playoff line before Scheifele is back in the lineup?
It shouldn’t take long to find out.
“We’re just going to have to fight,” said Wheeler. “It’s going to be one of those things that it may not look as pretty and we may not be quite as dangerous as we’re used to being, but there’s still a lot of fight in our group and there’s still a lot of capable bodies in here to get a job done.
“That’s the key for us, we want to keep this thing afloat, so that when (Scheifele) comes back, we’ll be even stronger for it.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-jets-vs-islanders
FIVE KEYS: Jets vs. Islanders
By Ken Wiebe
Winnipeg Jets vs New York Islanders
7 pm CT, Bell MTS Place, TV: TSN3. Radio: TSN 1290
THE BIG MATCHUP Blake Wheeler vs John Tavares
With centre Mark Scheifele on the shelf for the foreseeable future, Jets captain Blake Wheeler will take on even more responsibility and will be partially responsible for trying to minimize the offensive production for the Islanders captain, who is tied for the team lead and among the league leaders in points (48) with linemate Josh Bailey.
KEYS TO THE GAME One man Armia
Jets right-winger Joel Armia scored a pair of goals in Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers while recording a career-high five shots on goal and eight attempts. Although he’s moving back to the fourth line for the time being after being promoted to the top unit against the Oilers, Armia has two goals and four points during his past four games and can handle the extra ice time if called upon.
Heating up
With an assist on Wednesday, Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers extended his point streak to four games. Ehlers is up to 17 goals and 30 points in 38 games and he’ll be one of the players asked to help pick up the offensive slack during Scheifele’s absence.
Power up
The Jets have gone three games without scoring with the man-advantage, going zero-for-10 during the stretch. The Jets were tinkering with the first unit during Thursday’s workout, as Adam Lowry moved to the net-front role and Patrik Laine and Wheeler swapped sides on the power-play alignment.
Rookie rolling
Islanders 2016 first-rounder Mathew Barzal has been one of the best rookies in the NHL this season and showcased his skills against the Jets last week, netting a hat trick in the 5-2 victory in Brooklyn. Barzal leads all rookies in points (36) and is riding a five-game point streak (five goals, eight points).
Welcome back
Former Jets captain Andrew Ladd has nine goals and 18 points in 37 games during his second season with the Islanders while averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game. He’s playing on the second line with Barzal and Jordan Eberle and is in the second year of a seven- year pact he signed in the summer of 2016. Ladd has four goals and eight points in 22 career games against the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers.
Canadian Press http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jets-mark-scheifele-6-8-weeks-upper-body-injury/
Jets need to fill Scheifele void as a team
By Canadian Press
WINNIPEG — The news that Mark Scheifele will miss six to eight weeks was a hard blow to the top-line centre and his Winnipeg Jets teammates.
Head coach Paul Maurice announced after Thursday’s practice that Scheifele is out with an undisclosed upper-body injury he suffered in Winnipeg’s 4-3 victory over Edmonton Wednesday.
"It’s going to be a real, real difficult thing for him to go through, and it’s the mental part of it," Maurice said when asked how Scheifele was doing.
"I know he will be back the day that human body is ready to be back because his diet’s going to be perfect, his off-ice training’s going to be perfect and he comes into the injury as a very, very fit man. So he gives himself the best chance, but it’s going to be tough for him. He’s going to have a real difficult time with it."
How difficult it will be for his teammates to fill the hole he leaves behind remains to be seen.
Scheifele, 24, had assisted on linemate Kyle Connor’s goal early in the second period against the Oilers, but took a hit by Edmonton Brandon Davidson and went sliding hard into the boards at 7:37. As the Bell MTS Place crowd grew quiet, Scheifele stayed down in obvious pain and then left on his own to the dressing room, appearing to favour his right shoulder or arm.
"From what we saw (Wednesday) night it didn’t look good, it didn’t sound good," veteran centre Bryan Little said. "But I think it could have been worse, from what they were saying.
"Hopefully, he heals quickly and is back pretty soon. It’s never something easy to see, one of your best players on the ice like that."
The assist gave Scheifele 38 points in 38 games, four points behind leading linemate and captain Blake Wheeler. Scheifele also averages 20:58 of ice time, sixth among NHL forwards.
"It’s a huge hole. (He’s) one of the best in the game and a huge part of what we do," Wheeler said of the alternate captain.
The Jets (21-11-6), who host the New York Islanders (20-13-4) Friday, are already without injured veteran defencemen Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom.
The ripple effect from Scheifele going on the injured-reserve list had Maurice juggling three of his four lines at practice.
Wheeler had moved to Scheifele’s spot after the injury and was still there during practice, with regular linemate Connor on the left wing and Patrik Laine moving up from the second line.
Wheeler played centre for two seasons at the University of Minnesota and came into the NHL in 2008 with Boston in the same position. He also replaced an injured Scheifele for a couple games last season.
"It’s unfortunate to see your teammate go down like that," Laine said. "He’s one of our key players on the team so it’s not good for us.
"But now all the other guys have to much improve their game. Now I get a good chance with that line and hopefully I can do things with Blake and Kyle and hopefully we can get a good game (Friday)."
Mathieu Perreault was bumped up to the second line from the fourth to play with Little and Nikolaj Ehlers. Either Shawn Matthias or Marko Dano will fill the fourth-line spot. Both have been healthy scratches.
"We’re more built for things like this now than we used to be," Little said of the team’s depth and talent.
"What we start with (Friday) might not be what we finish the game with and there might be different combinations you see while he’s out. I think we have the guys that can step up and play in those different positions and roles."
That’s also what the captain is counting on.
"It’s going to be one of those things that it may not look as pretty," Wheeler said. "We may not be quite as dangerous as we’re used to being, but there’s still a lot of fight in our group. There’s still a lot of capable bodies in here to get a job done.
"That’s the key for us. We want to keep this thing afloat so that when Mark comes back we’ll be even stronger for it."
NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-mark-scheifele-injury-update/c-294426068
Scheifele out 6-8 weeks for Jets with upper-body injury Center left game against Oilers in second period Wednesday by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent
Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele will be out 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury.
Scheifele was injured during the second period of a 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. He was hit by Oilers defenseman Brandon Davidson and fell awkwardly into the boards.
"It's a huge hole; [he's] one of the best in the game and a huge part of what we do," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said Thursday. "He's really developed into a leader around our team … it's a big void. Everyone is going to have to step up a little bit, pull together as a team so we don't miss him too much."
Scheifele, who was placed on injured reserve, has 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 38 games, second on the Jets behind Wheeler's 42 points (nine goals, 33 assists). The 24-year-old was seventh in the NHL with 82 points (32 goals, 50 assists) in 79 games last season.
Coach Paul Maurice said the Jets will miss Scheifele in several key areas.
"The big one: 5-on-5, matched head-to-head, and then power play, clearly," Maurice said.
Wheeler will step into Scheifele's spot at center, with right wing Patrik Laine promoted to the top line. Mathieu Perreault moves from the fourth line to the second line, replacing Laine.
"He's done it before," Maurice said of Wheeler playing center. "It's something that we talked about for the last couple of years. He's played center; that was his position he came into the National Hockey League at. He's got quite a bit of experience there. He did a good job with it when Mark has been hurt (last season)."
Maurice said the Jets don't plan to recall a forward from Manitoba of the American Hockey League. Forwards Shawn Matthias and Marko Dano have been healthy scratches for the Jets recently.
"We've got NHL guys here right now," Maurice said.
Wheeler said the Jets are going to have to fight through the adversity, beginning Friday when they host the New York Islanders (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, MSG+2, NHL.TV).
"It's going to be one of those things where it may not look as pretty, we may not be quite as dangerous as we are used to being, but there's still a lot of fight in our group, still a lot of capable bodies in the room to get a job done," Wheeler said. "That's the key for us. We want to keep this thing afloat so that when Mark comes back, we'll be even stronger for it." https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-ready-to-make-change-without-scheifele/c-294430646
Jets look to veterans to fill Scheifele's absence Wheeler shifted to middle, Perreault moved to second line with top center out 6-8 weeks by Tim Campbell @TimNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer
WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets will lean on their most experienced players but have a nearly impossible task in trying to make up for the loss of center Mark Scheifele, who's out 6-8 weeks because of an upper-body injury.
Scheifele was checked by Edmonton Oilers defenseman Brandon Davidson and crashed into the boards at 7:07 of the second period during the Jets' 4-3 victory Wednesday. He was helped off the ice and did not return.
Scheifele has 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 38 games this season, second on the Jets to Blake Wheeler's 42. Last season, Scheifele, 24, was seventh in the NHL with 82 points (32 goals, 50 assists) in 79 games.
Wheeler, Scheifele's regular linemate, was moved from right wing to center on the Jets' top line at practice Thursday. His linemates were left wing Kyle Connor and right wing Patrik Laine. That line likely will remain together when the Jets host the New York Islanders at Bell MTS Place on Friday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, MSG+2, NHL.TV).
Wheeler, 31, said Scheifele is irreplaceable.
Since Scheifele became the Jets' No. 1 center when Bryan Little sustained a season-ending neck injury Feb. 18, 2016, he has 154 points (64 goals, 90 assists) in 143 games, tied with Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning for third-most in the League. The only players with more are the Oilers' Connor McDavid (168 points in 143 games) and the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (156 points in 139 games).
Wheeler said the Jets have no choice but to fill Scheifele's spot by committee as they try to continue their best start since the 2011 relocation to Winnipeg.
The Jets are second in the Central Division with 48 points (21-11-6), one behind the first-place Nashville Predators.
"There's still a lot of fight in our group, a lot of capable bodies in here to get a job done," Wheeler said. "That's the key for us. We want to keep this thing afloat so that when Mark comes back, we'll be even stronger for it."
Wheeler has played center during his 10 NHL seasons, at the start of his career with the Boston Bruins and more recently when Scheifele has missed games because of injury.
Veteran forward Mathieu Perreault, 29, will make the biggest move within the Winnipeg lineup, going from the fourth line to the second line to play left wing with Little and Nikolaj Ehlers, who moves from left wing to right wing.
In nine NHL seasons, Perreault has 260 points (100 goals, 160 assists) in 452 games and is skilled enough to handle the extra responsibility.
He has 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 12:23 of ice time in 26 games this season. That's 3.72 points per 60 minutes, sixth-most in the League among players who have played at least 25 games this season; Josh Bailey of the New York Islanders leads with 4.29 points per 60 minutes.
That said, the Jets will be challenged to maintain their scoring pace with Scheifele out. They have 124 goals, third-most in the League behind the Lightning and the Islanders, each with 131 entering Thursday.
"It's not good for us but now all the other guys must improve their game," Laine said. "I think we'll just need to play more and better in our own end. I think we're playing well right now so we can't let it affect our game."
Winnipeg's third line will stay the same, with Adam Lowry at center between left wing Andrew Copp and right wing Brandon Tanev.
Shawn Matthias, 29, is expected to play in Perreault's spot at left wing on the fourth line, with center Matt Hendricks and right wing Joel Armia. He skated there Thursday.
Matthias, in his 11th NHL season, hasn't played since Dec. 3 against the Ottawa Senators and has been scratched the past 11 games. He has two assists in 18 games this season.
But he'll likely play ahead of forward Marko Dano, 23. Dano has been scratched 29 consecutive games. He last played Oct. 27 at the Columbus Blue Jackets and has no points in six games.
If coach Paul Maurice's first iteration of adjustments is unsatisfactory, it's likely the Jets would recall a forward from Manitoba of the American Hockey League. A trade is possible, but it's unlikely anyone is available who could provide what Scheifele does when healthy.
Manitoba's leading scorer is center Jack Roslovic, who is tied for second in the AHL with 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 31 games.
Roslovic, 20, has played one NHL game with Winnipeg, on April 6 last season. He was the No. 25 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, taken after the Jets had selected Connor at No. 17.
Manitoba has another center, Nic Petan, who has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 24 games.
Petan, 22, played six games with the Jets at the start of this season but didn't have a point. In 86 NHL games in three seasons, he has 19 points (three goals, 16 assists). He was a second- round pick (No. 43) in the 2013 NHL Draft.
TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/jets-depth-will-be-challenged-with-scheifele-s-absence~1292926
Jets' depth will be challenged with Scheifele's absence
With Mark Scheifele expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks with an upper body injury, Jamie McLennan and Pierre LeBrun explain why the Jets' depth will be tested and everyone will need to step up in his absence. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/with-scheifele-out-jets-make-changes-at-practice-to-top-two- lines~1292483
With Scheifele out, Jets make changes at practice to top two lines
As Sara Orlesky explains, with Mark Scheifele not at Jets' practice and expected to miss time with an upper-body injury, Blake Wheeler moved to centre on the top line and is joined by Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, while Mathieu Perreault joins Nikolaj Ehlers and Bryan Little on the second line.
TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/kelly-jets-have-depth-to-handle-scheifele-injury- 1.954461
Kelly: Jets have depth to handle Scheifele injury
Mike Kelly discusses how Mark Scheifele's injury will effect the Jets lineup and which players will have to step up in his absence https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/campbell-maurice-will-continue-to-tinker-with-lines- 1.954437
Campbell: Maurice will continue to tinker with lines
Tim Campbell of NHL.com joins the Afternoon Ride with Andrew Paterson and Rick Ralph. They discuss Mark Scheifele's injury, Black Wheeler's move to centre and a number of possible lineup changes that might happen while Scheifele remains on IR. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/scheifele-to-miss-six-to-eight-weeks-with-upper-body-injury/c- 294429692
Scheifele to miss six to eight weeks with upper-body injury Wheeler moves to centre in 24-year-old's absence by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com
WINNIPEG - Head coach Paul Maurice didn't even wait for the question to be asked on Thursday afternoon.
"Mark Scheifele has an upper-body injury (and will be out) six to eight weeks," he said.
With those words, the extent of the injury the 24-year-old sustained in the second period of Thursday's win over the Edmonton Oilers was known.
But the NHL schedule waits for no injury, and with the New York Islanders in town tomorrow night, the Winnipeg Jets got to work trying to fill the void left behind by Scheifele.
That void may be significant - Scheifele is second on the team (and 14th in the NHL) in points with 38, and sits sixth in the NHL among forwards in ice time, averaging 20:58 per game.
"He's really developed into a leader on our team. It's a big void. Everyone is going to have to step up a little bit," said captain Blake Wheeler. "We're just going to have to fight. It's going to be one of those things that it may not look as pretty, we may not be quite as dangerous as we're used to being.
"There's still a lot of fight in our group. There's still a lot of capable bodies in here to get a job done. That's the key for us. We want to keep this thing afloat so that when Mark comes back, we'll be even stronger for it."
Wheeler took over Scheifele's spot at centre after his injury, and was back in that position during today's 45-minute practice at Bell MTS Place:
Connor-Wheeler-Laine
Perreault-Little-Ehlers
Copp-Lowry-Tanev
Matthias-Hendricks-Armia
Morrissey-Trouba
Kulikov-Myers
Chiarot-Poolman
Maurice used Wheeler at centre during the three games Scheifele missed between Dec. 3 and Dec. 6 last season.
Wheeler had an assist in each of those games, and the Jets went 2-0-1 in that stretch.
"What Blake has done quietly here, for the last three years, is make the players he plays with better," said Maurice. "Look at Mark's growth, and the way he plays the game. Nik Ehlers played there and learned how to play hard. Kyle Connor, that's a big part of the reason that Kyle is there. He's learning how to get on the puck. You don't even have to go back to last year, from training camp to now, there is a huge pay off to playing with a player like Blake."
Wheeler came into the NHL playing centre, and suggests playing the position will require a bit of a shift in mindset.
"There's different nuances. You have to be a little bit more patient underneath the puck," said Wheeler. "That being said, if you time it right, you can play with it more - less stopping and starting.
"I've done it enough to know what to do."
The second big move has Mathieu Perreault sliding up to the second line, vacated by Patrik Laine moving up to cover the right wing spot usually held by Wheeler.
"We won't be as offensive off that fourth line as we have been. It's going to look more like other NHL teams," said Maurice. "We were just fortunate that Matty handles that situation the way he did. He liked playing there. He likes playing with Hendy and Army because they can make plays. The guy that goes in is moving into a pretty good hole there."
Since returning from a lower-body injury on Nov 16, Perreault is averaging nearly a point-per- game, with eight goals and 17 points in that 21-game span.
"It's terrible. It's not good, but there's nothing we can do about it now," Perreault said of Scheifele's injury. "We just hope he gets better soon. For now, we have to focus, and put our efforts together to make some good without him.
"We've got good players in this room, and we've got to believe that we can still do it without Scheifs."
At this point, the Jets don't plan on recalling anyone from their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, and Maurice is still deciding whether it will be Shawn Matthias or Marko Dano that gets a look on the line with Matt Hendricks and Joel Armia.
One thing is for sure though. There is still confidence in the Jets dressing room.
The team has managed the adversity of having both Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom out of the line-up in recent weeks. Maurice hopes Byfuglien can return shortly after Jan. 1, while Enstrom's eight-week lower-body injury timeline would have him back later in January if it stays on schedule.
Help may be on the way, but the team knows it still has work to do.
"They're looking at this as a challenge," said Maurice. "I felt, from the bench anyway, all of those young players got better the minute Mark went down. Everybody understood what happened.
"Kyle Connor's game really changed gears. I thought that was a positive. We handled it right on the bench. It's going to be a while, we're not going to be sitting here waiting for him. Certainly you don't want him out for that amount of time, but we're not waiting for the weekend for him to come back and make all things better."
The one taking it the hardest may be Scheifele. His love for the game and his teammates is well known, and now he faces the long, grinding road to recovery.
"It's going to be a real difficult thing for him to go through. It's the mental part of it," said Maurice. "I know he'll be back the day the human body is ready to be back. His diet will be perfect, his off ice training will be perfect. He comes into the injury as a very fit man.
"He gives himself the best chance, but it's going to be tough for him. He's going to have a real difficult time for him." https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/practice--paul-maurice/t-277437442/c-56188303
PRACTICE | Paul Maurice
Head Coach Paul Maurice announces that Mark Scheifele will miss 6-8 weeks with an upper- body injury https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/practice--mathieu-perreault/t-277437442/c-56187503
PRACTICE | Mathieu Perreault
Mathieu Perreault talks about losing Scheifele for six to eight weeks, and his thoughts on moving up to play alongside Little and Ehlers