Scheifele raising his game for Jets

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This article was published 26/02/2015 (3913 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With his third-period goal Thursday night, that’s three straight games with scoresheet impact for second-year centre Mark Scheifele.

The 21-year-old Winnipeg Jets pivot helped the Jets draw even, though they eventually lost 2-1 in shootout to Central Division rivals the St. Louis Blues.

The encouraging aspect to Thursday’s contest wasn’t so much that Scheifele is again finding his way offensively, now up to 10 goals and 35 points for the season, but that the Jets had the resolve to come back against a difficult team to play against.

He said that after the second period, down 1-0 in a tight, hard-nosed game, the consistent version of the Jets re-appeared.

“Just keep sticking with it, don’t stray from our system, don’t stray from what we do best and I thought in the third period we kept on getting pucks deep and kept playing physical and kept playing quick and that’s what we’ve got to continue to do,” Scheifele said.

Scheifele has two goals and two assists in the last three games.

“He’s been great the whole year,” was the opinion of Jets captain Andrew Ladd.

“Positionally, for a guy that young, he’s always in the right space. He’s patient and he seems to find those spots. It seems these last couple games he’s getting a little more comfortable offensively and starting to shoot the puck more.

“I think the big thing with him is that he’s got a great shot, he’s got to use it. Sometimes he’s looking to pass it off but the best play sometimes is just him shooting the puck.”

On Thursday, Scheifele centred another new combination. Drew Stafford moved over to the right wing to make room for left-winger Jiri Tlusty, acquired Wednesday in a deal with Carolina.

“I thought Mark Scheifele’s line generated 12 shots on goal and that looks like a pretty good line and I was real happy, especially with Drew Stafford’s game tonight,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said.

Tlusty arrived in Winnipeg just 20 minutes before the start of Thursday’s morning skate at the MTS Centre and the coach hinted there will be more impact that what fans saw against the Blues.

“That’s the safest game he plays,” Maurice said of Tlusty. “That’s what happens with guys he plays with, they get shots on goal and don’t give up a whole lot.

“Tough travel day but I liked that line.”

If he didn’t already know it, one element Scheifele saw more of on Thursday was the nasty plot that finds its way into games at this time of year, and even more so in the playoffs.

Scheifele took an unpenalized sucker punch from T.J. Oshie during a scrum in the second period, and then got smashed with David Backes’s shoulder and elbow with 56.8 seconds left in regulation time.

The officials didn’t like that one at all, and sent Backes off for an illegal check to the head.

Scheifele said later none of that bothered him.

“We’ve got the guys to handle that, for sure,” Scheifele said.

“We know that’s only going to ramp up from here. We’ll be ready for it and that’s a challenge that we’re going to have to take in stride but we’ll be ready for that.”

JETCETERA: Jets coach Paul Maurice said after the game that Blake Wheeler, who’s been on the injured reserve list this week, is a potential player for Sunday’s afternoon home game versus Los Angeles….The Jets have now gone three games without giving up a power-play goal.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca