McDavid has his eye on Scheifele’s scoring exploits

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This article was published 09/11/2016 (3251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To know what drives Mark Scheifele, look no further than the examples set by the best players in the NHL.

“You see guys like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid — they’re always trying to get better,” said the Winnipeg Jets centre Wednesday afternoon. “They’re trying to get better defensively. They trying working on little intricacies of the game to get that edge. That’s what I try to do.”

Clearly, Scheifele has learned his lessons well.

On Tuesday, the 23-year-old centre vaulted to the top of the NHL’s points scoring list with a four-point effort in an 8-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

Scheifele’s 18 points were one ahead of McDavid, who had three assists in Edmonton’s 4-3 loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Scheifele and the Oilers phenom have a friendly rivalry going.

“He sent me a text this morning actually, telling me to try to slow down,” said Scheifele. “And I was like, ‘Look who’s talkin’. ‘ ” 

Scheifele has worked hard to get to where he is, from the time he was Winnipeg’s first draft choice (seventh overall) in the 2011 draft. Each summer, he spends time on the ice with skills guru Adam Oates and does rigorous off-ice conditioning with former NHLer Gary Roberts.

“He’s put the time in to be a great player,” said Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice before his team departed for tonight’s road game in Glendale, Ariz. “And that goes back to his first training camp. Each year, he spends the summer very dedicated to his body. So he’s turned himself into a big, strong young man because he put the time in. He studies the game,watches video, he learns the league. He’s a complete pro in terms of his development.”

Workhorse veteran

Veteran blue-liner Dustin Byfuglien leads the NHL in ice time, averaging 28:35 minutes per game. He has eight assists in 14 games but so far, he has a big goose egg in the goal department.

“There’s ups and downs,” said Byfuglien. “It’s something I’m not too worried about. Sooner or later it’ll start going in. I’m just glad we’re playing decent hockey as a club. We’re not falling way behind. We’re doing good things.”

Byfuglien was on the MTS Centre ice more than an hour after Tuesday’s game for a solo shooting session. He said there was not much to read into it.

“I had about six or seven new sticks and we haven’t been practising much,” he explained. “I don’t sleep right after a game so I just figured I’d grab some sticks and go shoot some pucks.”

As for ice time, Byfuglien suggested the more the better. Even if it means topping out at more than 30 minutes, as he has done in some games this season.

“The more you play the better you are, the more you’re engaged in the game…,” he said. “I haven’t really sat down and thought about (what would be ideal), but the more I play, the better I feel out there.”

Byfuglien’s ice time may diminish some by virtue of Jacob Trouba’s impending return. Maurice would not say whether Trouba, who signed Monday after a lengthy contract impasse and has skated twice with the team, would play tonight against the Coyotes.

“It’s fun to have him back and it’ll be good to have him back in the lineup,” said Byfuglien.

Prepping for Arizona

Maurice cancelled Wednesday’s practice, citing the wear and tear of a gruelling schedule ahead. Only Trouba, defenceman Mark Stuart, forward Mark Dano and goaltender Michael Hutchinson got some extra skating in.

“We’re putting the extra coat on because we know the snow is coming — it’s ahead of us,” said Maurice, speaking metophorically. “We’re saving energy, we’re conserving right now and have no issues with our sharpness.”

Centre Matthieu Perreault (upper body) will not play against the Coyotes. He is considered day-to-day.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14