Slapshot sidelines Stuart

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This article was published 16/02/2016 (3524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Veteran defenceman Mark Stuart will be out of the lineup for four to six weeks with a broken hand, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice said after Monday’s practice at the PNC Arena.

Stuart was hit in the right hand by a slapshot from Edmonton’s Justin Schultz 11 minutes 45 seconds into Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Oilers.

Veteran Adam Pardy will go into the lineup in Stuart’s place when the Jets meet the Carolina Hurricanes tonight.

“I think you saw that shot he blocked,” Maurice said of Stuart. “He had a fairly significant break in his hand. We knew he’d gotten hurt, he didn’t feel it needed (an) X-ray and somehow he played the game he played, as good a game as he’s played in a number of weeks. I don’t know how he did it.

“But after the game, he said he should probably get it looked at, and it’s broken.”

It’s the first significant injury to any of the Jets defencemen this season.

Maurice has been reluctant to mix either Pardy or Paul Postma into game action. Pardy has played 11 games and Postma two this season.

“The challenge for both guys is that they haven’t played a lot of hockey here,” the coach said. “Adam goes in on the fact that he’s a left-handed shot so we don’t have to move the other pairings around. We’ve liked what we’ve seen. Simplicity in the game is the key.

“We’ll get a good feel for how hard he’s pushed himself in practice and how ready he is and he’s just going to have to keep that game as simple as he can.”

 

Fourth-line offence

It used to be a regular drum beat: that the Jets’ fourth line produces very little. Less has been said about this season, but it remains true.

Rookie centre Andrew Copp, who’s been in the middle of that fourth unit all season long, said Monday minimal production is on his mind.

Copp has one goal this season (in game No. 11). He’s had just one assist in the last 29 games.

“It’s definitely in my mind a little bit,” Copp said. “I’m coming off two pretty good scoring years in college (15 goals, 14 goals). I feel like it’s something I can add. I don’t think I play well only when I score and when I score, it doesn’t mean I play well. That’s not how I judge my game.

“I feel like I’ve been trending in the right direction. I feel like I’ve had more and more chances here. I feel like my line’s creating chances, not necessarily me but feeding guys and playmaking, too,” he said.

“I feel like we’re having a lot of offensive-zone shifts and we’re working on getting that puck to the net and trying to get it into the net.

“This is something in my mind, but it’s not how I judge myself.”

The matter was raised by Maurice a couple of weeks ago in Winnipeg, but not urgently.

The coach said Monday he does need more offence from that fourth line.

“They hold water,” Maurice said. “So job No. 1 is you’ve got to go out and give you some energy on the body.

“Yeah, we’d like to see something there and there’s reason to believe there’s some offence there. Andrew is a first-year guy in the league and those guys have to figure out the NHL game,” the coach said.

“You can play safe, play hard and play safe, but you’ve got to do some things offensively as well and still have the coach have faith in you. I’m not down on Andrew’s game. He probably jumped into that role more readily than I thought he would… we’re looking in the back half of the season to see an upswing.”

 

Raleigh rough patch

Maurice was increasingly cranky during Monday’s 47-minute practice at the PNC Arena.

“It’s that kind of day,” Maurice said. “The ice gets a little rough here. I probably should have remembered that, but I didn’t. So when I’ve got stuff I want to do at the 40-minute mark and I’m looking down and I get a little frustrated with it.

“You can’t be happy every day. It’s always better to be pissed off after a win anyway.”

The Jets are coming off Saturday’s win in Edmonton and are 5-0-1 in their last six road games.

 

AFTERBURNERS: Adam Lowry missed Monday’s practice, but Maurice said he’ll be in tonight’s lineup… Toby Enstrom plays his 600th career NHL game tonight, all with the Jets franchise.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca