Concussed Laine out indefinitely

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This article was published 09/01/2017 (3191 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The void is huge but the Winnipeg Jets don’t have a choice in the matter.

Patrik Laine, their superstar 18-year-old right-winger, will be sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a concussion — the outcome of a devastating neutral-zone hit from Buffalo Sabres defenceman Jake McCabe Saturday afternoon.

It was not all doom and gloom as the Jets practised at the MTS Iceplex Sunday afternoon.

“He was standing out watching practice with a big smile on his face today, so, he’s not feeling 100 per cent, he’s not feeling fresh but he walked around looking good,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “He’s got (teammate) Nik Ehlers for a chauffeur for the next little while.”

Laine, who is tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews for the NHL lead among rookie goal scorers with 21, has no timeline attached to his recovery.

“(He) sees doctors again today (Sunday),” said Maurice. “So he will start the stages of recovery with that. We’ll wait til the symptoms subside and then you start increasing workload and getting back on the ice.”

The Jets plan to move veteran right-winger Drew Stafford onto the club’s top line with Ehlers, a left-winger, and centre Mark Scheifele. Joel Armia, meanwhile, will slot in on the club’s No. 1 power-play unit.

Stafford, a 31-year-old veteran, scored 21 times in 78 games last season and has three goals and seven points in 27 games during an injury-plagued 2016-17.

“He’ll go into the hole that Patty was in with Mark and Nik,” said Maurice. “They had some real nice success last year together. It’s really around the time Nik Ehlers started putting some pucks in the net for us. So, he’ll go in there and we’ll leave the others the same.”

The Ehlers-Scheifele-Laine combination has been on a tear lately. Laine (two goals, five assists) and Ehlers (five goals, one assist) and Scheifele (two goals, three assists) are on four-game point-scoring streaks entering tonight’s 7 p.m. game against the visiting Calgary Flames.

Laine and Scheifele lead the Jets with 37 points each while Ehlers has 36.

“We were building some good chemistry, me, (Laine) and Scheifs,” said Ehlers. “But that’s the way it is. He’s gonna get better, hopefully, soon…

“I’m going to go out there and play the same game. Staff comes in — we’re gonna try build some chemistry. So we’ll see.”

Veteran forward Chris Thorburn is expected to draw back into the lineup tonight.

‘We were building some good chemistry, me, (Laine) and Scheifs,” said Ehlers. “But that’s the way it is. He’s gonna get better, hopefully, soon…’– Nikolaj Ehlers

Winnipeg is also expected to recall a forward from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose to fill the open roster spot.

Breaking out

Ehlers’ remarkable run continued in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Buffalo with his ninth goal in his last nine games. The Dane had only five goals in his previous 33 games.

So, what’s the difference?

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“Boy if we knew that, because the chances don’t look any different, right?” said Maurice. “And I guess that confidence, and only the shooters know a release point. He gets that puck off his back foot sometimes and so quick. Maybe he’s shooting harder or he’s pressing or he’s hanging onto it… or he’s trying to place it early on and then you get a couple to go and you’re not thinking, it’s on and off your stick. He is certainly on a roll.”

Noteworthy

The Jets are 7-for-25 (28 per cent) on the power play in their last eight games, scoring at least one power-play marker in six of those games.

Winnipeg’s penalty killers have a spotless 8-for-8 mark in their previous two games…

The Jets will be wearing their Heritage Classic jerseys tonight against the Flames, only the second time they have been worn in a game. Heritage jerseys will also be worn for a third and final time March 19 against the Minnesota Wild.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14