‘I feel great on the ice’: Barron back as Jets face off against Dallas

DALLAS, TEXAS — Morgan Barron felt it was both necessary and important to take a stand, even if there were unintended consequences he had to deal with.

The Winnipeg Jets forward emerged from concussion protocol to suit up in Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars after being on the receiving end of a heavy right hand from Colorado Avalanche defenceman Josh Manson.

Following the morning skate, Barron explained why he took exception to the hit Manson delivered, resulting in a minor penalty for interference.

“I didn’t have the puck. I think he got a two for it, that was kind of what I thought was the appropriate call,” said Barron, who started the game on the fourth line with Isak Rosen and Parker Ford. “I don’t think it was anything more than that.”

After the whistle had blown, Barron found Manson in front of the net and challenged him to drop his gloves.

Manson obliged and while Barron caught the Avalanche blue-liner with a hard right that left him with a black eye, the Jets forward took a shot that forced him to sit for two games.

“Yeah, I watched it. I watched it a few times,” said Barron, asked if he studied the video of his fight in the aftermath. “Obviously, (Manson) knows what he’s doing and I kind of opened myself up there (to the punch). It’s part of the game. I have no regrets about it. You learn from those things, I think. I was just sticking up for myself.”

Suffering the injury was an unfortunate byproduct of sticking up for himself, but Jets head coach Scott Arniel appreciated the thought process behind what transpired.

“The fight came about in a situation where he got hit there without suspecting. I’m glad he stood up for himself,” said Arniel. “Maybe not take on one of the toughest guys in the league, but at the end of the day he did a heck of a job.

“That’s all part of this time of year, the desperation you’re seeing from everybody. Everybody has battles, it doesn’t have to be fights, but it does have to be that compete. That one went a little bit different, but at the end of the day to have him back, he’s a key piece to our team.”

Arniel was happy to have Barron back for what figures to be a heavy game against the Stars in what will be the fourth and final meeting of the regular season.

“Him eating up minutes, both five-on-five and on the penalty kill,” said Arniel, asked where Barron’s impact would be felt. “He’s having a heck of a year for us. He’s a key piece. His speed is a big factor. He helps push that line. I think just him, his confidence this year, how he plays without the puck, he’s the type of guy that will get inside and use his power. That’s what we need.”

Barron felt fortunate that the symptoms of the first documented concussion of his career were mild.

“There’s a lot of grey area about what is and what isn’t (a concussion), with the severity of them and things like that,” said Barron. “I don’t know. I didn’t try to compare it to anyone else’s or any prior experience. I just took it day by day and like I said, I felt good and just went from there.

“It’s been fine. Obviously, sitting at home, I felt pretty good pretty much the whole time. Just kind of going through the protocol and I got to watch the guys win two games, so it’s been good.

“Honestly, I woke up the next day and felt like I played a hockey game. I felt pretty good otherwise and I’ve been in the rink every day. I just ramped up the workouts and skates and stuff as time goes. I never had any setbacks, luckily, so I got to take my (baseline) test two nights ago and I felt good.”

Getting past that final hurdle allowed Barron to jump on a plane and meet the Jets in Dallas for the critical Central Division battle.

“I always try to look at (the glass) half full. I missed two games and the guys went and got four points. This isn’t like I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for a few weeks,” said Barron. “I feel great on the ice. I feel I can pick up right where I left off.”

The Jets made one other change to the lineup, inserting Haydn Fleury on the third pairing for Jacob Bryson.

“I have a bit of a rotation going there. We’ll see how that plays,” said Arniel. “I wanted to get Bryson in. He had played a lot when he got here after the trade and then he sat for a while. So, it’s more of that.”

Going into Thursday’s action, the Jets were two points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the chase for the second wild card berth in the Western Conference.

“This wildcard chase keeps getting tighter and tighter,” said Barron, who sits eighth in team scoring with 11 goals and 23 points in 64 games. “I think everyone is in a good space and we’re excited to play a good team.”

The Jets close out this four-game road trip on Saturday against Rick Bowness and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe