Perreault’s pain is young star Connor’s gain

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This article was published 16/10/2017 (2888 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mathieu Perreault’s latest bad break represents a golden opportunity for Kyle Connor.

The skilled young forward was called up Monday from the Manitoba Moose to replace Perreault in the Winnipeg Jets lineup.

Perreault suffered a lower-body injury while blocking a shot late in the second period of Saturday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes and is expected to miss up to a month. It’s yet another blow for Perreault, who can’t seem to stay healthy for an extended period of time.

Connor, 20, will step right into the lineup by taking Perreault’s spot on a line with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine.

“They’re both really great players. I think I can bring some speed to the table and I think our playmaking ability, I think we can all move the puck around and have the ability to finish. It’s going to be exciting and I’m looking forward to it,” Connor said following Monday’s Jets practice.

Connor, 20, has three goals and two assists in four games with the Moose this season. He skated in 20 games with the Jets last season, putting up two goals and three assists.

“It’s been good. I’ve thought I’ve been playing well, I’ve been skating well down there. As a team, too, I think we’ve been playing good hockey, so that helps everybody,” Connor said.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said losing Perreault — a player he called part of the “fabric of the team” — to injury once again is a product of how hard he plays the game.

“We really need what he brings because he finds a way to get on the puck, knock things down, keep it there,” Maurice said. “But we’ve got some young guys that are playing in the minors that maybe two years ago would have started here. So they come with a little more bite and a little more determination they didn’t get handed a job. So we think we have the pieces here to survive an injury like this.”

The first opportunity goes to Connor.

“Now he gets a chance. And it’s a top-six chance and he’s going to have to work really hard to keep that. We’ve got other players there that want that opportunity, too. So he has to perform,” said Maurice. “He doesn’t have to put pucks in the net. He has to show that he’s getting chances, but that’s not the big one. He’s going to play on that line, you’re drawing the other team’s better players, you’re drawing the other team’s better defence. So he needs to be able to play at that level.”

Defenceman Dmitry Kulikov was absent from practice Monday after taking a big hit Saturday and leaving the game early. Maurice said he could miss up to two weeks. Rookie Tucker Poolman is expected to take his spot in the lineup. Ben Chiarot is also an option, having yet to appear in a game this season.

Third-line centre Adam Lowry was also held out of practice after missing Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. He won’t be available for tonight’s home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets but could be ready for Friday’s game against the visiting Minnesota Wild, said Maurice.

Centre Matt Hendricks skated Monday in a yellow non-contact jersey and could be available by the end of the week. He is still working his way back from a lower-body injury suffered during the pre-season.

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He’s one of the hottest goaltenders in the league but Connor Hellebuyck will be parked on the bench for tonight’s game against Columbus.

Steve Mason will get the start against the team that drafted him, looking to bounce back from two rough outings to begin his tenure with the Jets after signing a two-year deal that pays him US$4.1 million per season.

“The guy’s a good goaltender and based on our schedule we can’t leave him out any longer. I don’t want to. I want him back in the net,” Maurice said Monday.

Mason was pulled in the Jets’ home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs after giving up five goals, then was on the wrong end of a 6-3 game against the Flames in Calgary a few nights later.

Hellebuyck started the last three games, going 3-0 and stopping 95 of the 100 shots he faced.

After Friday’s game against the Wild, the Jets will have five days off until they play back-to-back games in Columbus and Pittsburgh.

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Nikolaj Ehlers is opening plenty of eyes around the NHL these days and the league has taken notice, naming the flashy Jets forward as the league’s first star of the week.

Ehlers, 20, had five goals and two assists in three games last week, which were all wins for the Jets.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s something I can be proud of. But it’s only one week. We have many weeks to go. So I want to try and keep this going, keep getting better. The team has been doing well the past three games, so it definitely feels good and is something I can be proud of,” Ehlers said Monday.

He’s formed a terrific top-line trio with captain Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, which Maurice said may be the fastest line in the league.

“Confident player right now, big smile on his face when he’s playing the game, that’s usually when he’s at his best.

“And that line has had some moments of really powerful hockey,” said Maurice.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg