Injured goalie has hard time with waiting game

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This article was published 22/02/2018 (2758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Michael Hutchinson said the waiting was the hardest part.

The Winnipeg Jets goaltender was cleared to rejoin the Jets — and officially removed from the NHL team’s injured-reserve (IR) list — on Thursday, after he was sidelined for six games over two weeks with a concussion.

Friendly fire caused the injury Feb. 6 in Phoenix during the morning skate prior to a clash with the Coyotes.

Hutchinson said he definitely felt “off for a few days” after catching a high deflection square on the chin, but was anxious to return just a few days later.

However, that’s not how the NHL’s concussion protocol works.

“It’s kind of weird because you get back to feeling normal, but there’s still protocol you have to pass even though you feel normal for a few days,” he said. “That was the hardest part, when I felt like I was good to come back and still being cautious with your head and having to pass the proper tests before coming back.

“That’s the biggest torture — when you feel mentally like you’re good enough to come back but you still need to err on the side of caution.”

Both Hutchinson and Steve Mason took turns protecting the net during practice drills at Bell MTS Place Thursday, just hours before the Jets caught a flight to St. Louis.

Mason, who has been shelved for 16 games with his second concussion of the year, remains on the IR but should return to active duty any day now, head coach Paul Maurice said.

Hutchinson will back up Connor Hellebuyck tonight against the Blues, who are winless in their past four. There’s a chance Hellebuyck could start on consecutive nights.

“I’ll always consider it, depending on the schedule coming in and the schedule coming out,” Maurice said.

Goalie Eric Comrie has been returned to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. In another roster move, defenceman Tucker Poolman was sent down to the Moose for Wednesday’s contest with Milwaukee — a 6-3 win for Manitoba — but the young blue-liner was recalled and will accompany the team to St. Louis and Dallas.

Poolman and winger Marko Dano are expected to be healthy scratches.

Hutchinson said the shot that struck him came on a rather innocuous play with a lousy result.

“It missed my plastic dangler and just hit me square on the chin. It wasn’t a hard shot or anything. Just kind of a fluke shot that happened to get me from making the (right) read,” he said. “That night I had a minor headache, but nothing crazy. It was the next day at practice where I started getting shots and my head was spinning.

“You try and get through that. You know something’s wrong right away once you get these guys that can really fire the puck; if you’re off a bit, you notice it quite a bit.”

His last concussion came six years ago when he played for Providence, the Boston Bruins’ AHL affiliate.

Maurice said no other lineup changes are expected this weekend. Forward Brandon Tanev (upper body), who has missed seven straight, donned a yellow “no-contact” jersey at practice, worked with the penalty-killing unit and could return Tuesday when the Central Division-leading Nashville Predators pay a visit.

Forwards Shawn Matthias (upper body) and Adam Lowry (upper body) skated on their own earlier Thursday, but aren’t fully recovered. Defenceman Jacob Trouba (lower body) still has not resumed skating. For now, the Jets are focused on battling a pair of division rivals in their rear-view mirror.

“They’re huge games. We’re trying to get our game right for the stretch run. We want to be playing our best hockey at the end of the year,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said.

The Jets had a three-game winning streak snapped Tuesday by the Los Angeles Kings.

“We’re playing against teams that have had experience playing in these heavy games, playing important games, so it’s going to be a challenge for us every single night, and I think we’re looking forward to going into tough environments and dealing with the adversity of trying to get two big points on the road.”

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It’s a hockey-life lesson that Nic Petan, a 22-year-old pro with fewer than 100 NHL games under his belt, learned the hard way.

Undisciplined penalties hurt your team, particularly when all signs point to a tight game.

With the game tied 1-1 late in the second period Tuesday, the fourth-line winger had to serve a slashing minor for his retaliatory whack on Andy Andreoff. Less than a minute later, the Kings pulled ahead on Dion Phaneuf’s power-play marker, and the visitors eventually posted a 4-3 win.

Injuries have created an opening for Petan, but his job security with the Jets is tenuous at best. He’s well aware selfish plays like that simply can’t happen.

“You just live and you learn, a little mental error. Not everyone’s perfect, so you live and learn,” he said Thursday morning.

Maurice, who didn’t bench Petan at any point after the ill-advised slash, said the play was uncharacteristic behaviour for the small but skilled forward.

“Is there a punishment? That’s the question. Well, I put him back on the ice. We were down a goal and you have to serve the Winnipeg Jets — that’s your job and we needed a goal, so I played him after that,” Maurice said. “It’s not something I’ve seen in his game a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to him about his penalties. He knew it when he did it.”

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