Jets step up in Game 7 against Blues without Scheifele, Morrissey

WINNIPEG -- It was understandable that the Winnipeg Jets were dealing with a good amount of fatigue Sunday. A 4-3 double-overtime Game 7 win to cap a grueling, punishing and exhilarating Western Conference First Round series against the St. Louis Blues will have that effect.

But for the Jets, it was more than that. With center Mark Scheifele missing the last two games of the series and defenseman Josh Morrissey sustaining an undisclosed injury in the first period of Game 7, players had to fill holes, take on extra responsibilities and in the case of the remaining defensemen, a whole lot more minutes.

“It took a lot out of us,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said after the game. “Obviously, not having either one of those guys for most of that game is huge. Any coach would tell you that when you lose those type of players.

“But again, it was Game 5 here when we lost ‘Scheif’ and all those centermen had to step up and all our forward group had to step up. Well, tonight it was our defensive group that stepped up. I can’t speak enough about how great they were.”

The next-man-up mentality that’s such a mantra in the NHL, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, was in full force for the Jets. It may continue to be necessary in their second-round series against the Dallas Stars.

Game 1 will be played at Canada Life Centre on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).

Their next opponent can certainly relate to getting through a tough first round without their top forward (Jason Robertson) and defenseman (Miro Heiskanen). Stars coach Pete DeBoer said each should return at some point in the second round.

But the Jets’ overall health remains in question. Scheifele, who’s also out with an undisclosed injury sustained in the first period of Game 5 against the Blues, skated in a track suit Saturday and was considered a game-time decision. He did not skate Sunday morning or play that night.

Arniel didn’t have a postgame update on Morrissey.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll find out once we get through all this craziness, see where everybody’s at tomorrow. We’ll do a roll call, check on him. Right now, obviously he couldn’t play the rest of the game. We’ll just kind of move forward with him and everybody else.”

The Jets shifted their centers around to adjust to Scheifele’s absence. Dominic Toninato drew into the lineup on the fourth line, Morgan Barron moved up to the third line and captain Adam Lowry to the second.

Vladislav Namestnikov, who played center on the top line through the final two periods of Game 5 as well as all of Games 6 and 7, looked comfortable with left wing Kyle Connor and right wing Gabriel Vilardi. His second goal of the series, scored with 1:56 remaining in regulation Sunday, got the Jets to within 3-2.

“I've played with him all year; he's unbelievable,” Winnipeg forward Cole Perfetti said. “Great guy to start with [and] unbelievable teammate. So much fun to play with, and then you see tonight he gets us going with that clutch goal. He's so smart out there, he's so dynamic. He's got a really good brain, and it's a lot of fun to play with him. It's special to be his teammate.

“Our locker room is full of those guys. That's what makes this group special, is how well we click and gel together. I think that goes to why we fight for each other so hard, every shift. It's because we're brothers. And having a guy like ‘Vlady’ step into that and take on a big role, obviously losing Scheif, him and ‘Lows’ (Lowry) and ‘Bears’ (Barron), ‘Toni’ (Toninato), everyone in the center position stepped up and was amazing. Those aren't easy shoes to fill; Scheifs is one of the best players in the League, [but] our guys did it. It's really impressive.”

Perhaps more impressive were the minutes logged by the five remaining defensemen in Game 7. Each played at least 27:49, with Neal Pionk logging a Jets/Atlanta Thrashers record 46:15 of ice time, eclipsing Morrissey’s record of 41:54 against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their first-round series in 2021. Haydn Fleury, playing his second game this postseason and third since 2023, logged 33:02.

“What a yeoman’s effort by our defense,” Arniel said. “Haydn Fleury having to come in and play, and he did a fantastic job. But everybody, all five of those guys, they had a different partner every shift because of the rotation and just having to, not only defend but they had to be a part of our offense.

“We didn’t get much offense in Game 6 down there (in St. Louis), [but] I thought tonight we had that zone time, and it centered a lot around our defense, the plays they made. The winning goal, ‘P’ (Pionk) getting that puck to the net front and Lowry getting a piece of it, when those guys have to play those heavy minutes like that, it was special and that’s guys stepping up and that’s what we needed.”

The Jets planned to take a well-deserved rest Monday, some players likely needing it more than others. They got what was necessary in the first round. Now they must to carry it over against the Stars.

“I was pretty gassed, I’m not going to lie,” said Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who had an assist in 25:57 on Sunday. “I’m standing here and my legs are a little shaky.

“I think in games like this, these games are special. You don’t get these very often. To be able to come back in the third period like we did and battle our (butts) off in overtime, yeah, it’s really special and we did it as a group today. So, we want to carry that forward.”