‘Everybody wants to play every night’

In this high stakes game of musical chairs, getting your No. 1 defenceman back in the lineup is an obvious bonus.

But for Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, attempting to hit all the right notes with the rest of his roster can be both a blessing and a bit of a curse.

As the Jets welcomed back blue-liner Josh Morrissey for Game 2 of the second-round matchup with the Dallas Stars on Friday, Arniel also made the choice to sit down veteran D-man Luke Schenn for the first time since he was acquired prior to the NHL trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Morrissey was back with familiar D partner Dylan DeMelo after missing the series opener with a suspected shoulder injury.

A frequent target of the St. Louis Blues in the first round, Morrissey was on the receiving end of several glass-rattling checks and he left Game 7 in the first period after taking only three shifts for just over two minutes of ice time.

Following a few days of treatment and recovery, Morrissey got the green light to return.

“He’s a part of our rush, he’s a part of that offensive side,” said Arniel. “He has a skill set that when the puck’s on his stick, whether it’s a pass or whether him shooting it, you know what he does with that shot of his.

“Josh and (DeMelo) have done a great job for us the last couple of years playing against top-end players.”

Stars defenceman Thomas Harley always thought highly of Morrissey’s game and having the opportunity to play with him for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off gave him a greater appreciation for his skill set.

“I knew he was a really elite player before the 4 Nations. Nothing that I saw changed my mind on that,” said Harley. “He’s an elite puck-mover, he’s better defensively than he gets credit for. He’s an all-situations kind of guy.”

Because of how physical Schenn plays, it’s unclear whether he was a healthy scratch or if he was dealing with a nagging injury of some kind.

He was limited to 18 shifts and just under 11 minutes of ice time in the series opener, but still finished with five hits.

Colin Miller had three shots on goal and six shot attempts to go along with two blocked shots in just under 18 minutes of work while playing on his off side (the left side), primarily with Schenn.

When asked about the decision on the third pairing, Arniel mentioned that the style of the opponent had something to do with keeping Miller in on the third pairing with Haydn Fleury, who skated alongside DeMelo in Game 1.

“He’s the type of guy, a veteran guy, that’s played at this time of year, has experience in the playoffs,” Arniel said of Miller. “You look for guys that don’t get rattled by the moments. He’s got lots of skill and that certainly helps us offensively, (with) jumping in the rush, that big shot. But defending as well. He’s got good feet, gets into people and has a little bit of an edge to his game.”

As for the bigger-picture discussion about having numerous options at his disposal — the Jets have already used two goalies, eight defencemen and 15 forwards through nine playoff games — those discussions with the scratches aren’t a fun part of the job.

“Not just in the playoffs, it’s hard during the regular season when you’ve got to tell a guy he’s not playing. Everybody wants to play every night, and (those are) hard conversations,” said Arniel.

“But guys also recognize, too, that we’re hoping to play for another month here, and we’ve used everybody, or a lot of guys already. And they’re still part of it. And it may happen as quick as Game 3.

“But just always to be ready. You never know how it looks, how we’re going to go about things. And guys have been good that way. Not happy, but they recognize what we’re doing.”

Miller only got one chance to play in the opening round and he was called into action late on the day of Game 3 when DeMelo was a late scratch due to illness.

During the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring, Miller entered the lineup in Game 5 against the Colorado Avalanche and came up with a strong showing.

That’s an acquired skill, but it’s an important club to have in your bag, especially at this time of the year since the playoffs can sometimes be about the battle of attrition.

“Not just in the playoffs, it’s hard during the regular season when you’ve got to tell a guy he’s not playing.”–Head coach Scott Arniel

“We have a deep group here. We’ve got eight, nine, 10 guys (on defence) that can all play, so just make sure you’re ready and then when you get called upon, try and take advantage,” said Miller.

“Obviously we’re a team in here. There have been guys that have gone up and down in the lineup and injuries and all kinds of things, and stuff like that’s going to happen this time of year, so step up when you can.”

The Jets have leaned heavily on that depth, given that all of Morrissey, Mark Scheifele, Gabe Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers and Logan Stanley have already missed time due to injuries in these playoffs.

Going into Friday’s game, 20 of the 23 skaters to suit up in a game for the Jets in the playoffs had recorded at least one point.

The Stars continue to be without top defenceman Miro Heiskanen, who has been out of the lineup since suffering a knee injury on Jan. 29 after an awkward collision with Vegas Golden Knights captain and Winnipegger Mark Stone, who lost his balance and crashed into Heiskanen.

Heinskanen continues to skate with the Stars and is inching towards a return, potentially during his series.

 

Praise for Lowry

Stars head coach Pete DeBoer confirmed what had been reported leading up to the selection of Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off, that Mark Scheifele wasn’t the only Jets centre who was under consideration for a spot on the roster.

Adam Lowry was another guy that the coaching staff and management talked about deep into the process before the final determinations were made for the best-on-best event held in Montreal and Boston back in February.

“I’m a big Adam Lowry fan. I think he’s probably one of the top-three defensive centres in the league,” said DeBoer, who was an assistant coach on Jon Cooper’s staff. “He’s got that combination of size and length, hockey IQ and some edge to his game that I think everyone’s looking for in that type of role.

“I think he does an exceptional job. Even back to the 4 Nations, his name was in conversations when we were talking about that role. He’s a highly thought-of guy around the league.”

The debate over Canada’s roster for the Olympics in 2026 is on the back burner for the time being, as Lowry’s primary responsibility in this series will be to try and minimize the damage done by the Stars’ top line — which is centred by Roope Hintz — and to chip in offensively like he did in the first round when he scored three times, including the double OT clincher in Game 7 against the Blues.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld