Byfuglien won’t play tonight against Sharks

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This article was published 05/02/2019 (2407 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two of the most dynamic defencemen in the game will be spectators tonight as the Winnipeg Jets take on the San Jose Sharks at Bell MTS Place.

Dustin Byfuglien will miss at least one more game as he recovers from an ankle injury suffered in late December. The Jets blue-liner was a full participant in the morning skate but stayed out for extra work.

Coach Paul Maurice said they are just being extra careful.

“He’s ready to play, he’d like to play, I just want to hold him out one more. He’s had a block of almost five weeks off. We’re not concerned about the injury or where it’s at, it’s all the other things — groins, hip flexors — that you don’t get to push at a high level for a long period of time, because he’s not coming back in at 12 minutes, he’s coming back in at 20-plus minutes and he’s got to be ready to go,” Maurice said.

As for the Sharks, Erik Karlsson will miss a fifth straight game as he deals with a lower-body ailment. He remains back home in California and there is no timetable for his return.

Despite being without some star power, there’s still plenty of intrigue as two of the top teams in the Western Conference meet. The Jets are on top of the Central Division with a 34-16-2 record and sit third-overall in the NHL standings. The Sharks are 30-16-7 and sit second in the Pacific Division behind the Calgary Flames.

“We know it’s going to be a tough one. They have a good team. A lot of guys that do a lot of things really well. We know it’s going to be a tough test, we know it’s going to be a grind, and we have to be prepared for that,” said centre Mark Scheifele, who leads the Jets with 26 goals in 52 games.

“They got a lot of guys that can make some plays, make you pay.”

One of those is familiar to Winnipeg fans, as old friend Evander Kane has been on a tear lately with 21 goals and 21 assists in 53 games this season.

Winnipeg beat San Jose 5-3 on Dec. 20 in their only previous meeting this season.

Connor Hellebuyck will make a fourth straight start in goal for the Jets. There’s one other lineup question for Winnipeg, as second-line centre Bryan Little was absent from the morning skate. Maurice said he will be a game-time decision, with Nic Petan on standby to play if he can’t.

“If he plays we’ll expect a hat trick,” Maurice said, referring to Jack Roslovic being a question mark on Saturday against Anaheim, then going on to score three in a 9-3 rout.

This will be a special night for Maurice, as he coaches in his 1,500th regular-season game. His good friend, Pete Deboer, is behind the bench with the Sharks. The two began their coaching career together in 1993 with the Detroit Junior Red Wings of the Ontario Hockey league

“I got a lot of really nice texts over the last week but his was the one that I’ll cherish. As long as we win I’m really happy he’s here,” said Maurice.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg