The Winnipeg Jets record fell to 17-4-0 on Saturday night, losing 4-1 to the Nashville Predators. There were a handful of storylines that emerged from this game, with none being more important than the Jets losing a top-four defenceman due to injury.
Dylan Samberg breaks his foot
The Winnipeg Jets lost Dylan Samberg early in the second period of this game after he blocked a one-time shot from Steven Stamkos on the penalty kill. After the game, we learned from Scott Arniel that the 25-year-old defenceman broke his foot on the play.
“He’s got a broken foot, so it’s not good,” Arniel said after the game. “We’re gonna send him home tomorrow when we get to (Minneapolis) and get it looked at when he gets home.”
There’s no doubt that this is a massive loss for the Jets blue line, as Samberg was putting together an extremely strong season alongside Neal Pionk on the second pairing. “He’s a warrior, and that’s a big hole for us.” Arniel said post-game. Samberg had three goals and six points in 21 games, with his biggest impacts coming on the defensive side of the puck.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
To potentially fill that hole on the blue line, Ville Heinola was recently activated off of injured reserve and has played his two-game conditioning stint with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. We could potentially see Heinola make his season debut on Monday when the Jets take on the Minnesota Wild, or Dylan Coghlan could potentially fill that role as well.
When asked about a potential timeline for the injury, Arniel said that Samberg will have to be fully evaluated before they know for sure.
Eric Comrie kept the Jets in it
With Connor Hellebuyck taking the crease on night one of the back-to-back, Eric Comrie was tasked with facing the Central Division rival with a tired Jets squad in front of him. Comrie kept the Jets in this game for the first two periods.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
With only five defencemen available for the final 40 minutes of the second night of a back-to-back, the Jets crumbled in the third, and Comrie couldn’t hang on.
Comrie is now 3-2-0 on the season with a .910 SV% and a 2.83 goals-against average. He has provided solid work in relief of Connor Hellebuyck, and it will be interesting to see if Arniel goes to Comrie on any of the games remaining on this six-game road trip.
Cole Perfetti’s goalless drought reaches nine games
Cole Perfetti has zero goals and three assists in his last nine outings. He has just one even-strength goal in the first 21 games, with his other three goals coming on the power play.
While his line continues to generate chances, such as Vladislav Namestnikov scoring on Friday in Pittsburgh, Perfetti hasn’t gotten the bounces that he was getting earlier in the season.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Juuse Saros made a huge stop off of Perfetti early on in this game, which kept Perfetti from scoring a goal for a ninth straight game. With the top line having an off night against Nashville as well, the Jets will need both of their top-six lines to step up in a massive Central Division clash on Monday evening.
Up next
The Jets will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota, to take on the Wild on Monday evening at 7:00 CT. They will be without Dylan Samberg for that game and beyond, as one of Heinola or Dylan Coghlan is set to step into the lineup.
It’s the top two teams in the NHL doing battle, as the Jets will look to bounce back against the 13-3-3 Wild. It’s game three of a six-game road trip, one the Jets have split up until this point.
Stay tuned to Illegalcurve.com for all the updates regarding Samberg and the rest of the Jets as they continue their road trip.
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