Vilardi back in action Jets power forward to make series debut in Game 5 By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 2:34 PM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2025

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This article was published 29/04/2025 (534 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Gabe Vilardi!

“I’m hopeful to make a big impact,” the Winnipeg Jets forward said Tuesday as he prepared to swoop into the middle of an intense best-of-seven playoff series with the St. Louis Blues that is tied 2-2.

“I don’t know. I have to go out there. I’m not going to be Superman or anything like that.”

Maybe not, but Vilardi’s return from a five-week injury absence comes just in the nick of time for his team. The Jets are reeling after two straight blowout losses to the Blues and need all the help they can get in Wednesday’s pivotal Game 5 at Canada Life Centre where they won the first two games of the first-round series.

Can the 25-year-old power forward save the day?

“I’m just going to go play and hopefully I can help (his linemates) out and help the team out,” said Vilardi, who slides right back to his familiar spot on the top line beside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.

“Hopefully we can get back and get a win. But I’m not thinking too much about stuff like that. Just going in there, playing my game and hopefully making some good plays out there.”

Vilardi last played on March 23 against the Buffalo Sabres, suffering an undisclosed upper-body ailment that was deemed week-to-week. It would mark the end of a career-best regular-season in which he had 61 points (27G, 34A) in 71 games. He began skating on his own a couple weeks ago and has been participating in full-contact practices for the past week.

“It’s going to be an adjustment and I’ve got to be prepared for that right away,” Vilardi said of the intense pace that comes with playoff hockey. “There’s no working back into it. Every play matters right now, as you guys are seeing.”

Jets head coach Scott Arniel won’t hesitate to lean heavily on Vilardi despite missing 15 consecutive games. He was close to playing in Sunday’s Game 4, even participating in the pre-game warmup, but ultimately the decision was made to give him a few extra days of recovery and conditioning.

“It’s green light now. There’s no holding back. This is playoff hockey. There’s no (wading) his way in,” said Arniel.

“First couple of shifts he’s going to have to get up to speed. It’s going to be a heck of a lot faster now than it was when he left us. But I’ve got all the confidence as I watched him the last few days in practice that he’ll be alright.”

“There’s no working back into it. Every play matters right now, as you guys are seeing.”–Gabe Vilardi

Vilardi’s return impacts every line. He knocks Alex Iafallo down to the second unit with Vlad Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti, while Nino Niederreiter reunites on the shutdown trio with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton. Brandon Tanev moves to the fourth line with Morgan Barron and Jaret Anderson-Dolan, while David Gustafsson comes out.

“It pushes people back down to where they normally usually play. And it just helps us balance out some of our lines,” said Arniel. “It really changes things for us in the sense of the offence that we can produce, not just from our top guys but spreading it back out through our lineup.”

It will also allow Arniel to go back to using Lowry, Niederreiter and Appleton against the top two lines of the Blues, especially with the Jets enjoying last change due to being the home team.

“Obviously the last couple of years they’ve been together, their offensive zone time, because they do so well defensively, they don’t spend a lot of time in our end of the rink,” he said.

“The chemistry’s there. They kind of read off each other and do the things together. So yeah, I need those guys up and doing what they do best, and that’s really forcing lines to play in their end of the rink.”

Vilardi also goes right back to his usual net-front spot on Winnipeg’s top power-play unit, which has struggled mightily in his absence. The Jets are just 2-for-12 so far in the playoffs.

“He just becomes another threat, right. (Connor’s) shot’s a threat. (Josh Morrissey’s) shot is a threat. (Scheifele’s) playmaking ability, (Perfetti) in the pop area is a threat. Now there’s a fifth one there,” said Arniel.

“If you leave him alone he can do things down there, whether that’s take the puck to the net himself or (Perfetti) to him to make, he’s a really good passer as well. Now you’ve got your five threats that make it a little bit more difficult for the penalty killers to try to shut everybody off.”

“He just becomes another threat, right. (Connor’s) shot’s a threat. (Josh Morrissey’s) shot is a threat. (Scheifele’s) playmaking ability, (Perfetti) in the pop area is a threat. Now there’s a fifth one there.”–Head coach Scott Arniel

Connor and Scheifele lead the Jets with five points each in the series, with nobody else having more than two. The dynamic offensive duo appreciate having their regular wingman providing another offensive weapon.

“It’s exciting. We know what he means to this team, means to our line,” said Connor.

“It’s a huge advantage for us to have him back. He’s a big part of what we’ve talked about all year, not being a one trick pony on the power play. Being able to score and being pretty dynamic from all over the place, he just adds another element for them to be aware of.”

St. Louis has taken a clear in-your-face approach with Connor and especially Scheifele over the past two games, hitting them legally — and at times illegally — at every chance they can get. Does Vilardi immediately join the hit list?

“It’s a different game. It’s intense,” admitted Connor.

“Every play is magnified that much more. You’ve got to be on your game, you’ve got to pay attention to detail. We stress that every shift. He’s aware of that. He’s played in big games throughout his career, throughout his life. I just think he’s the type of guy, and this is the type of game, too, where he can just step in and focus on himself, focus on his game, and he’s going to be ready.”

Vilardi declined to reveal any specifics about his injury, likely not wanting to provide the physical Blues team any additional intelligence. But he admitted it’s been tough both physically and mentally to be sidelined for such a stretch.

“Definitely tough to watch, especially going into St. Louis. Their crowd’s so into it, it’s like… team vs. everybody,” he said. “It’s definitely tough not to be out there and feel like you’re a part of the highs, the lows, whatever. Just feels (like) you’re on your own. But it is what it is, I’m back and that’s that.”

Vilardi has battled plenty of injuries earlier in his career but was on track to play his first full season until this one struck. He had a long list of people to thank for getting him through it — from team trainers and medical staff to personal massage therapists who would come to his home every night.

“I’m very appreciative of them. My family. It’s tough. Whenever you get injuries it sucks,” he said.

“We’ve talked about playoffs, everything’s amplified with the pressure, but I’ve got a lot of good people in my life and it’s a good group of guys aside from hockey. It’s a family in here and everyone’s been super supportive.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg