Mark Scheifele Will Not Travel to St. Louis

Scheifele was injured in the first period of Game 5 on Wednesday night. The forward took two big hits in the period, one from Brayden Schenn and the other from Radek Faksa. It is unclear which hit resulted in the injury, but it can be assumed both contributed to it in some way.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel and Blues head coach Jim Montgomery had their opinions regarding the cause of the injury.

Jets Have Big Void

Scheifele has two goals in the series. He scored the Jets first goal in Game 1 and Game 2. The Jets had just gotten their top line back together after Gabriel Vilardi returned to the lineup for Game 5. In addition, the Jets are still missing forward Nikolaj Ehlers.

The Jets will need players to step up in Scheifele’s absence. Injuries are part of the game. While it is unfair sometimes, it is the hand the Jets have been dealt. Someone will have an opportunity to step up in a big way on Friday.

We may have seen a hint as to who may play on the top line on Friday. Vladislav Namestnikov played on the top line in Scheifele’s place and scored what ended up being the game-winning goal.

Flashback to the Bubble

This is the third time Scheifele has missed time in the playoffs due to injury. The last came in the 2020 bubble, when Scheifele was injured in the team’s qualifying round series. His absence was felt and noticed. The Jets were eliminated in four games. Scheifele was also injured in the following postseason, where the Jets reached the second round before being swept.