Jets’ suffering Stafford seeks scoring surge

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This article was published 28/12/2016 (3492 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drew Stafford likes scoring goals and wants to score more — and the Winnipeg Jets wouldn’t mind that, either.

But the veteran right-winger is struggling to find the back of the net and has found himself in an unfamiliar position: a fourth-liner getting far fewer minutes than he’s accustomed to in his 11-year NHL career.

“It’s no secret the start of the season for me, health-wise and production-wise, has been a challenge,” Stafford said Wednesday, following a team practice at the MTS Centre. He was skating on a line with centre Nic Petan and winger Marko Dano, a highly effective unit Tuesday in Chicago as the Jets dumped the Blackhawks 3-1.

Stafford had less than nine minutes of ice time, including a couple of minutes of killing penalties. The Blackhawks failed to score in three chances with the man advantage.

“At the same time, you try to contribute in certain ways and help the team win in whatever way you can, whatever role you’re put in,” said Stafford. “I take a lot of pride in being professional in that way. I want to try and be effective in any way that i can.”

The 31-year-old has just two goals in 22 games this season. He began the campaign with just one assist in six games before suffering an upper-body injury Oct. 25 that sidelined him for 15 games.

He returned to the lineup in late November and scored in his third game back Nov. 27., stuffing the puck past Predators goalie Juuse Saros to open the scoring in a 3-0 Winnipeg win over Nashville.

Then came a 12-game drought, finally halted when he deked out Chicago goalie Corey Crawford early in the third period to help the Jets dump the Blackhawks at United Center.

The Milwaukee product is used to scoring. He had 21 goals during the 2015-16 season — his first full campaign with the Jets — and previously netted 154 goals in 563 games with the Buffalo Sabres.

Stafford, a first-round pick (13th overall) of the Sabres in the 2004 NHL Draft who had three terrific seasons at the University of North Dakota, hopes the goal against Crawford lights a fuse.

“Obviously, I’m offensively wired and for me to actually contribute on the scoresheet that way in a big win against a division opponent is huge,” he said. “Hopefully, I can keep on capitalizing on a maybe a couple more bounces.

“I feel I can contribute a lot more given a chance. Most of the time, everyone goes through slumps, a lack of production, but you gotta find other ways to contribute. Goals and points, most of the time they come in bunches. I knew it would turn around sooner or later to at least to get one and, hopefully, I can keep going.”

Centre stage

Mark Scheifele doing a chassé? Jacob Trouba in a tutu? Highly unlikely.

The pair of Jets will, indeed, be hitting a much different stage than they’re used to, joining the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for walk-on roles Friday in a performance of The Nutcracker.

They join more than a dozen other Winnipeggers in similar roles, a long-standing tradition at the RWB.

The two Jets will likely take part in an opening scene that features a game of shinny on a frozen pond. Scheifele said he leaped at the chance to try something new.

“Not since I was seven years old in a school play or whatever,” Schiefele said, when asked about his resumé in the performing arts. “It’ll be fun.

“Honestly, I have no expectations. I have no idea what’s going to happen. I might get there and it’ll be overwhelming or it might be easy. But regardless, it’ll be a cool thing to do and kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

He said there are no practices planned to perfect his plié.

“No, not at all. I’m going in in the dark. I’m a quick learner, so I think I’ll be fine.”

Laine fine, eh

First, he was there, then he wasn’t.

The disappearance of rookie phenom Patrik Laine at the Jets’ skate Wednesday raised some eyebrows. He participated in a few drills, but cut out early.

He wasn’t made available for questions after the skate. However, Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice said it’s most improbable to think the 18-year-old Finn would not be available when the Jets play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.

“We expect he’s going to play. He didn’t warm up the way he wanted to and we don’t like pushing those things,” said Maurice. “When you get out on the ice sometimes, and everybody’s got something that’s nagging, you’ve got seven or eight guys with shot-blocks from (Tuesday) night. They get 10 minutes into (practice) and if it’s not loosening up, we just kick them off.”

Laine has 19 goals in his rookie campaign and just missed his 20th Tuesday when his long shot on Chicago’s empty net clanked off the post.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPJasonBell