Maurice adds triage to duties

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This article was published 05/02/2018 (2775 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s getting awfully crowded these days in the Winnipeg Jets medical room. That’s likely keeping head coach Paul Maurice and his staff up at night trying to figure out how to fill out their roster.

While No. 1 centre Mark Scheifele is likely just days away from returning to the lineup, the news isn’t so good on other fronts.

Centre Matt Hendricks and winger Brandon Tanev, both of whom left Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche after getting hurt, will miss time with upper-body injuries. Hendricks is day-to-day, but won’t play tonight as Winnipeg hosts the Arizona Coyotes at Bell MTS Place. Tanev is week-to-week, according to Maurice.

Centre Adam Lowry also remains out after reaggravating a previous injury last week. Friday’s game against the St. Louis Blues would be the earliest for his potential return. Forward Shawn Matthias, defenceman Jacob Trouba and goalie Steve Mason are also out long term. Only Mason has resumed light skating as he deals with his second concussion of the season.

“It’s tough. The centre’s taking a beating lately,” veteran centre Bryan Little said Monday. “Luckily, (Blake Wheeler) has been able to step up and play really good in that position. If we didn’t have him in there, we might be in real trouble.

Winnipeg recalled forwards Nic Petan and Brendan Lemieux from the Manitoba Moose on Monday to take the spots of Hendricks and Lowry. Both could be in the lineup tonight.

Lemieux, 21, played eight games with the Jets earlier this season, scoring his first NHL goal. He has 12 goals and 16 assists in 30 games with the Moose this season. Petan, 22, has no points in six games with the Jets this year. He’s been on a tear with the Moose and now has 12 goals and 29 assists in 39 games with the Jets’ AHL affiliate.

Maurice said rookie defenceman Tucker Poolman could also be an a option to move up to forward on an emergency basis if needed. Poolman, who was a healthy scratch as the extra blue-liner last game, skated as a forward in Monday’s practice. He played some forward in college and for a period earlier this season in a game with the Moose.

“We wanted to see it and we liked what we saw there. He’s got some experience at it, not at the NHL level. And there has to be a role for that job. Some coverage on the back end (as well),” Maurice said of the possibility. “I’m not really worried about 11 forwards, with it being two days off on the front end and back end of the games. Poolman could kill penalties, and if we had any nicks on our blue line he could cover that off. I think we’re pretty healthy back there right now.”

The Jets got another injury scare at practice Monday morning when defenceman Josh Morrissey went down after taking a deflected puck to the face. He went straight to the dressing room, but returned to the ice after getting several stitches for a cut on an ear.

Maurice said the penalty kill is where Winnipeg might feel the injury impact the most. Trouba, Lowry, Hendricks and Tanev have all been big parts of a resurgent penalty kill that is up to eighth overall in the NHL.

“The real challenge there is you’re going to end up using guys that you’d prefer not to run hard on your penalty kill. I’m thinking of (Bryan) Little and (Blake) Wheeler especially up front. We’ll get Mark (Scheifele) back and that will help for St. Louis (on Friday),” Maurice said. “You survive it by staying out of the penalty box. You can’t have a big run of numbers then (short-handed) when you’re running four and five forwards. You have to stay out of the box.”

The injuries to centres Lowry and Hendricks might also mean keeping Wheeler at centre when Scheifele returns, he said.

“I’ll have to think hard about moving Blake out of the middle, but not where I’m putting Mark because coming off a six-week injury, I don’t want him in a new position. The hits are different and how the game is played is different. Mark will go back at centre and we’ll decide, based on the other injuries that we have and how we look (tonight), whether we leave Blake there or not,” he said.

“So they wouldn’t necessarily play together if that happened. It would maybe even be that Andrew Copp goes back to the wing and you balance your lines differently, but we’ll make that decision in a few days.”

Rookie Jack Roslovic, currently playing in the wing on Winnipeg’s top line, has also played centre with the Moose this year.

“He’s just been, for me, far more effective on the wing and we have other people that can play centre. Now, in terms of offence, he’s in a top-six role, so I don’t want to pull him out of that to put him on the fourth line at centre. And I don’t want him playing in the top six down the middle,” Maurice said.

Little believes his team is well equipped to continue weathering the storm.

“I feel like it’s kind of that time of the year, where stuff starts to take a toll on you. It’s the toughest part of the season right now and the pace has gotten faster and more physical out there, so it’s taken a toll,” he said. “It’s going to be a test. It’s testing our depth right now, and so far this year, we’ve been able to step up with guys out of the lineup and guys hurt. Just something we’re going to have to live with.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg