Injured Wheeler on trip but probably won’t play

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This article was published 10/04/2022 (1247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – Blake Wheeler joined his Winnipeg Jets teammates on their current two-game road trip but is unlikely to see any on-ice action, according to interim head coach Dave Lowry.

Wheeler was absent from morning skate ahead of Sunday night’s tilt with the Ottawa Senators and was then ruled out as he continues to recover from an undisclosed upper-body injury. Lowry said the Jets captain is also doubtful to play against the Canadiens in Montreal on Monday.

“There are reasons why we brought him, like treatment,” Lowry said in the bowels of Canadian Tire Centre. “He’s not playing today. He’s likely not playing tomorrow. And then we’ll evaluate where he’s at, and it’ll be a day-to-day process.” Wheeler suffered the injury during a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, after falling hard into the end boards. He missed practice the next day, for what Lowry called “maintenance”, and then was unavailable for Friday’s overtime defeat to the Colorado Avalanche.

It’s unclear what kind of treatment Wheeler might be getting, or whether that’s being handled in Ottawa or Montreal, or both. Asked if there was any thought to shutting Wheeler down for the season – the Jets have just eight regular-season games remaining after this trip, and would need a miracle to make the playoffs – Lowry dodged the question, reiterating that it’s going to be a day-to-day undertaking.

The Jets could use Wheeler’s offence as they desperately push for a playoff spot; heading into Sunday’s action, the Jets were seven points back of the Dallas Stars for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Wheeler is currently third on the team in scoring, with 12 goals and a team-high 42 assists.

THE 100 CLUB: With a two-minute cross-checking penalty against Colorado’s Josh Manson on Friday, Jets centre Pierre-Luc Dubois became just the 10th player this season to reach 100 penalty minutes.

It’s a rare milestone for Dubois, who had a previous season-high of 64 penalty minutes, set over 82 games while with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-19. Though he’s better known for his offensive gifts – he has 25 goals and 27 assists in 71 games this year – Dubois said the penalty minutes come with playing physical and wearing his heart on his sleeve.

“I knew in my first year I was never going to win the Lady Byng. It’s part of my game,” Dubois said. “You need emotion to win. You need emotion to play well. It shows you care. There are a lot of ways to show emotion, it’s not just physically. It could be battles in front of the net, boxing out, getting in front of their guys. When you have emotion, and everyone has emotion, the bench is alive, and everyone can feed off that energy.”

It’s not lost on Dubois that penalties can hurt the team and so he made it clear it’s not something he goes looking for. He added he doesn’t feel teams try to intentionally get under his skin, either. But even when they do, he’s not bothered by the trash talk.

As a fierce competitor, what he said really bothers him is losing. The Jets have done more of that this season compared to recent years, which likely plays into his current total of penalty minutes.

Playing with emotion can sometimes be a balancing act, a fine line that players try to ride. Dubois feels he’s adjusted well to that line to over his playing career, something that didn’t always come easily.

“When I was younger, I was a sore loser, so I didn’t really ride that line too well. Then as I got older, you figure out what you can and can’t do and how to ride that line better,” he said. “My dad always told me ‘I’d rather hold a horse back than have to push him.’ That’s kind of how I feel.”

Lowry said he has no issue with Dubois’ penalty minutes, adding he appreciates the intensity. If he felt it was a re-occurring problem, he said, then he would deal with it. That just hasn’t been the case this season.

“I will not ask a player not to play with emotion. It’s something that’s contagious,” Lowry said. “When he’s physical, when he’s involved, when he has emotion in his game, that usually means he’s driving the play. That is something that we’ll never take out.”

In fact, what’s more troubling to Lowry is when a player lacks the intensity that comes when playing with emotion.

“The guys that you ask to bring more emotion, it doesn’t come natural. So, that’s going to be a constant battle,” Lowry said. “Guys that have lots of emotion, you know that you can control it. And that’s usually growth and maturity in a player. It’s when you’re begging guys to find some emotion that it becomes a challenge.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton