Jets could have Lowry back for Sens

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This article was published 02/05/2021 (1590 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets could use an injection of good news right about now – and they may just get it ahead of Monday’s showdown in Ottawa against the Senators.

Adam Lowry continued his march back into the lineup, completing his first full-contact practice Sunday in the nation’s capital. Lowry hasn’t played since absorbing a hit to the head by Alex Galchenyuk late in the first period in a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 22.

He skated for a couple workouts earlier in the week but donned a yellow non-contact jersey, meaning his return was still a little ways away. After shedding that for his normal blue shirt, the last remaining hurdle is a quality check Monday morning and a final determination by Lowry and the team’s medical staff on whether he’s cleared to play.

“He was good. Felt strong. Moved right,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “If he feels good (Monday) then we’ll consider him a player.”

The Jets have yet to win without Lowry in the lineup, adding to what’s now a season-high – and mojo-crushing – six-game losing streak. Lowry hinted at a return against the Senators, noting his inclusion would result in the return of two familiar lines, which should bring back some consistency to the team’s overall play.

Whenever he does return, it will be in the middle of wingers Andrew Copp and Mason Appleton. Copp and Appleton have been playing with Mark Scheifele, with the plan, once Lowry returns, to reunite Scheifele with Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor.

“It just gets you back to quick reads and quick decision-making. For me, (the advantages of) playing with Copper and Appy for the most part is just generally knowing where they’re going to be – knowing where they’re going to be on the breakouts, knowing where they like to go in the offensive zone, knowing where I can kind of move the puck to be effective, and things like that,” Lowry said.

“And then you look at KC, Wheels and Scheif and how dangerous they can be off the rush, how dangerous they can be when they start cycling the puck and really start moving their feet. I think sometimes when you go back to what you’re used to, after kind of being away, you kind of get back to that style of game that maybe you’ve had success with in the past. It’s what we’re gonna to look to do (Monday).”

Winnipeg could desperately use a player like Lowry.

Considered a utility knife on the team, the 28-year-old is not only tasked with centring a line responsible for shutting down the other team’s best, which includes logging a fair amount of minutes, he’s also a big contributor to the penalty-kill. The PK has struggled the last two games, allowing four goals.

Lowry is also among the team’s most physical players, bringing a grit and presence that few can replicate on the Jets. He can also chip in on the offensive side, providing traffic in front of the net.

“He’s definitely a unique player on our team,” Copp said. “Everyone is going to be happy to have him back in the lineup, for sure.”

Lowry admitted he wasn’t happy with the hit he received from Galchenyuk and added that he was surprised it didn’t result in a penalty. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety also didn’t deem the hit worthy of any supplemental discipline.

The play began with Lowry picking up a loose puck near Toronto’s blue line before making a quick turn to the left and dumping it in. But just as he releases the puck with one hand up the boards to Copp, his head is met by the shoulder of Galchenyuk.

“It’s frustrating; one of those things, after it happened, I felt pretty good but there were a few things off, a few things that were sore,” Lowry said.

“I don’t think there was any intent, but I think there should have been a penalty on the play. I’ll leave it at that. I don’t think it warranted anything else (but) a minor penalty. I’ve kind of left it there and looking forward to getting back into the lineup and feeling good again.”

While it can’t be said that Lowry has a history of concussions, he has been on the receiving end of some high hits over his NHL career.

He was blindsided by Chicago’s Drake Caggiula in January, 2020, and was forced to miss 20 games with an upper-body injury. That was being considered a shoulder injury. In this case, Maurice and Lowry referred to it as an issue with the neck, with Lowry outright dismissing the notion he suffered a concussion.

He added that he had been cleared of a head injury by the sport concussion assessment tool commonly referred to as the SCAT test, after heading to the dressing room immediately after the hit.

Lowry has also been a part of his share of questionable plays. He was suspended for two games for boarding Calgary Flames defenceman Oliver Kylington in the 2019 Heritage Classic. Lowry was considered a repeat offender at the time, after he served another two-game suspension for a high stick on Nashville forward Filip Forsberg almost a year earlier.

Asked if he could learn anything from any of the incidents he’s been part of, especially those he’s been on the receiving end, Lowry shrugged before putting more onus on the player delivering the check.

“It’s the fluke of hockey. I think, generally, you know who you’re out there against and, generally, you know who’s going to be hitting and whatnot. And Galchenyuk has, what, 35 hits on the year, 37 maybe, he’s added a few the last few games. It’s one of those things where I feel like I’m in a vulnerable position, kind of reaching for the puck, just keeping it in; like, I don’t really think I’m moving a whole lot,” he said.

“You’d like the guy hitting to take some responsibility. I think he could have hit me in the body. I don’t have the cleanest track record; I have a couple of hits that have crossed the line, too. So, it happens. It’s just about kind of protecting yourself, putting yourself in the best spot and hoping guys that if you’re in a vulnerable spot, maybe, not necessarily let up, but finish through your body instead of through your head.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton