Concussion puts Scheifele out at least a week

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This article was published 27/12/2015 (3643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele will be out of the lineup at least a week with a concussion sustained in a collision with teammate Andrew Ladd during practice Saturday.

The Jets announced Sunday morning they had placed Scheifele on injured reserve, which means he must be out of the lineup at least seven days.

Head coach Paul Maurice said the club will be in no hurry to rush Scheifele back.

“This is not one where he’s coming back unless he’s 100 per cent,” Maurice said. “If it goes hopefully as well as it can, that might be a seven-day number. But I can’t guarantee that and again, we won’t be pushing the envelope at all.”

Adam Lowry was recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL to take Scheifele’s place in the lineup, but the changes precipitated by Scheifele’s absence extended throughout the Jets lineup as Maurice used the occasion to break out his line blender.

The Jets played the Pittsburgh Penguins at the MTS Centre Sunday night and Maurice juggled three of his four lines.

Ladd was dropped from the top line and played with Lowry at centre and Alex Burmistrov on the right wing. Drew Stafford took Ladd’s spot on the top line with Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler.

Mathieu Perreault, meanwhile, moved from the wing back to centre and played between Nikolaj Ehlers and Chris Thorburn.

The Jets fourth line was the only one that remained the same — Andrew Copp between Joel Armia and Matt Halischuk.

The changes come at a critical time — the Jets play host to the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday and then embark on a five-game road trip.

The Jets have won just twice on the road in their last 14 games and Burmistrov said Sunday something needed to change on a club that limped out of the Christmas break two games below .500.

“I think we have to change something,” said Burmistrov. “We’re trying to play hard, but something doesn’t work. I think it’s a good thing to change up a little bit.”

Ladd was asked Sunday to describe how the collision with Scheifele happened.

“I was kind of coming from behind and (Scheifele) was playing defence and I was kind of back-checking and went to poke the puck from (Thorburn) and he did the same thing.

“And I just caught him in a bad spot,” said Ladd. “I obviously knew it was a big collision, but you never know how serious it is until you get off the ice and see how he’s feeling.”

Maurice said no one was to blame and his moving Ladd off the top line was not a punitive measure.

“I wouldn’t let that idea soak up too much time — that would be wasted time,” said the coach. “It wasn’t anything punitive.”

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Lowry had four assists in four games with the Moose since he was sent down Dec. 16, and said the short stint in the AHL served him well.

“I think those four games down there with the Moose were good for me. I was able to handle the puck and play some big minutes and I’m excited to step back in and try to contribute to this lineup.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek