The Winnipeg Jets are only two days away from their opening first round game in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers.
Although the Jets are the third seed in the North Division, they struggled down the stretch in the last month of the season.
During the Jets’ seven-game losing streak, they suffered a major blow when star-forward Nikolaj Ehlers was ruled out for the remaining nine games of the regular season.
Paul Maurice was confident when he announced Ehlers’ season-ending injury that he would return for playoffs and Maurices’ confidence about Ehlers may come to fruition in game one.
Nikolaj Ehlers is back practicing and may return to the lineup in game one for the Winnipeg Jets
This is great news as Ehlers has returned to the ice and is participating in practice in a yellow non-contact jersey.
To further hope on an Ehlers return, Maurice is optimistic that he will be in the lineup for Wednesday’s series opener.
"I'm optimistic on all of them." -Maurice on the team's injured players.
— Mitchell Clinton (@MitchellClinton) May 16, 2021
"We'll keep going forward that we're optimistic they're all going to play."
It was apparent during the Jets’ struggles how important Ehlers is to the Jets’ success. Winnipeg struggled without Ehlers in the lineup going 3-6-0 in those nine contests.
Ehlers finished the regular season top-five on the team in goals (21), assists (25), points (46), and led the team in plus/minus with a +15 rating.
He accomplished all of these outstanding stats while being fourteenth on the roster in games played (47).
It is a great sign for the Jets that Ehlers is close to returning from his injury. Ehlers is a “game-changer” and provides the Jets with an interesting dynamic. His return is a big boost for the Winnipeg Jets.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Who should Nikolaj Ehlers be on a line with for game one? Leave your comments below!
*All Stats Provided by the NHL*