A head injury has sent the Winnipeg Jets’ star rookie Patrik Laine to the sidelines after a collision in the game against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
The rookie scoring leader took an open-ice hit from Buffalo’s Jake McCabe and appeared to hit the back of his head on the ice as he fell. He was on the ice for several minutes before getting up and was escorted to the dressing room.
On Sunday, Laine watched the Jets practice. Head Coach Paul Maurice confirmed Laine had a concussion and couldn’t say when he might return.
“He was standing out watching practice with a big smile on his face,” said Maurice. “He’s not feeling 100 per cent. He’s not feeling fresh, but he’s walking around, looking good.”
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Drew Stafford will move onto the line with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, Maurice said.
Both of Laine’s linemates praised his performance and wished him a speedy recovery.
“We were building some good chemistry, me, him and Scheif, but that’s the way it is and he’s going to get better, hopefully very soon,” said Ehlers.
“He’s the kind of guy that takes his one chance and we’ll be up one in the game, so having a game-breaker like that out of your lineup is tough,” said Scheifele.
Both Scheifele and Ehlers struck a confident tone, however, when discussing the impact Laine’s loss will have on their performance.
“It’s not going to have an impact,” said Ehlers. “I’m going to go out there and play the same game. Staff comes in and we’re going to try and build some chemistry, us three, so we’ll see.”
The Winnipeg Jets’ next take on the Calgary Flames at the MTS Centre on Monday.
- With files from The Canadian Press
