Scheifele, Lowry to play against Stars

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This article was published 18/03/2018 (2738 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry return to the lineup tonight as the Winnipeg Jets face a desperate Dallas Stars club that’s fighting for its playoff life.

Toby Enstrom could also be back after a five-game injury absence, which would essentially give the Jets the most potent roster they’ve iced all season. He is considered a game-time decision.

Scheifele returns to his No. 1 centre spot between Blake Wheeler and rookie Kyle Connor. He’s missed five straight games after suffering an upper-body injury during a game in New York earlier this month. He also missed 16 games earlier in the season.

“Feeling good today,” Scheifele said following the morning skate. “We like the look of our team. We’re excited to have guys getting back from injury, guys getting back into the lineup. I think that’s exciting for all of us.”

Lowry will anchor a checking line with Joel Armia and Brandon Tanev. Lowry has missed 19 straight games with a shoulder injury, and 27 of the past 29 overall.

“I think sometimes it’s about being smart. Maybe not taking the biggest runs at guys early on. Just making sure it feels comfortable. At the same time, I’m not going to change my game. I think a lot of my success comes from playing a certain way. If I shy away from that physicality, it’ll be detrimental,” Lowry said this morning.

Coach Paul Maurice will leave the red-hot trio of Paul Stastny with Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers intact. And in an interesting move, Andrew Copp will stay at centre between veterans Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault.

“I really like what (Copp) has done in the middle there,” coach Paul Maurice said this morning.

Rookie Jack Roslovic and Marko Dano both come out of the lineup for Scheifele and Lowry, joining Shawn Matthias as healthy scratches. Roslovic is coming off his strongest game in some time, recording a goal and assist in Thursday’s 5-1 win over Chicago.

“(Roslovic) is a part of this. We’re going to need all of it. So it’s a tougher conversation for him. He’s not out. He’s part of that group. And he’s going to play (down the road),” said Maurice.

Keeping Tanev in the lineup over Roslovic ultimately came down to special teams. Maurice noted every forward who will play tonight will see time on either the power play or penalty kill, which Roslovic is not currently part of.

“(Tanev) can kill penalties, and he can be really physical, and he’s very, very fast. There’s a lot that Brandon brings. The penalty kill is a really important role. It’s as important as the power play, in whether you win or lose hockey games, and he’s really good at it.

“He’s a heavy shot blocker for us. When he’s on the ice I don’t have to use somebody else that we’re going to use on the power play. It balances out,” said Maurice.

“They’re not competing for the same piece of ice. Brandon is really strong at that piece of the ice. We know that Jack Roslovic will be really good in his piece of the ice, the style of game that he plays. We can use him. I just don’t have him killing penalties yet. We need the killers.”

On the blue line, Enstrom would likely go back with partner Dustin Byfuglien should he return tonight. Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey are the likely top pairing, and Tyler Myers would be expected to see action with Ben Chiarot. Joe Morrow would be the odd man out.

Connor Hellebuyck gets the start in goal for the Jets, who are comfortably in second place in the Central Division with a 42-19-10 record. This is the second game of a six-game homestand.

As for Dallas, this is the fifth game of a six-game road trip. They are 0-2-2 so far. At 38-26-8 overall, the Stars are currently tied with Colorado and Anaheim for the last two wildcard playoff spots.

“They play a really fast game. I think defensively, in the defensive zone, they do a really good job. They collapse pretty hard, they don’t give you a lot of time and space,” Wheeler said following the morning skate. “It’s never easy playing these guys. They have a lot of high-end talent, guys that can hurt you at any given moment. So you’ve got to be aware of where those guys are all game.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg