Spa visit positive step in Laine's recovery Getting appropriate time off key to avoiding recurrence of concussion woes, expert says

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1 Winnipeg Free Press html Spa visit positive step in Laine's recovery Getting appropriate time off key to avoiding recurrence of concussion woes, expert says By: Jason Bell Patrik Laine s roughly 27,000 Twitter followers likely noted with great interest the injured hockey star s mention Monday of a recent visit to a Fort Garry spa. A Winnipeg concussion expert figures that s a positive sign. Dr. Glen Bergeron, director of Heads Up Concussion Institute, a University of Winnipeg research centre, said the Winnipeg Jets right-winger is doing exactly what he should be doing a few days after suffering a concussion. "I saw he tweeted out that he went to Thermëa spa and that s OK to do that," Bergeron said Tuesday. "The newest thought process on (concussions) is that this period of saying you need absolute rest, put yourself in a dark room, with no TV, no texting, that kind of thing, is not the norm anymore. "It s OK for two or three days to rest because you ve had this trauma to you. But very shortly you need to be up and moving, so even activities like walking or getting on a treadmill, with some very light aerobic activity. "We re saying after two or three days, start to become a little more integrated." Laine, 18, found himself on the receiving end of a crushing hit from Buffalo defenceman Jake McCabe on Saturday afternoon against the host Sabres. The NHL rookie had just taken a pass from centre Mark Scheifele and didn t see McCabe coming from his right. Video replays show the players knocking heads. Laine fell back, his head appearing to hit the ice. He lay motionless for a time and then looked woozy as he was helped to the dressing room by the team s training staff. Winnipeg has offered no time frame on a return to active duty for the league s leading rookie point-getter (37), who is being monitored closely by the Jets medical team. Bergeron said the effects of trauma to the brain are difficult to predict. "I think it s always concerning when you re talking about the potential for a brain injury which this is and the potential for subsequent injuries if he s not fully rehabilitated. I think (the Jets) would be very concerned about that," he said.

2 "The brain, in a concussion state, it s a functional injury, which means the efficiency of the brain to communicate with itself, from one nerve to another, has been altered. It s a process of time, where the brain re-calibrates itself, to a certain degree. That s one way of looking at it." Since the diagnosis, the club is following NHL protocol, which indicates a player can resume playing once he s successfully completed a series of six steps, with no ill effects. Bergeron said one day is usually associated with each step in the recovery, meaning the Jets will likely be without their deadly shooter for another three days, at minimum. "The international standard is you move one day at a time. You challenge, you evaluate 24 hours later before you challenge at a higher level. And if you show any symptoms at all, you go back to the previous level. In that scenario, it takes a minimum of seven days to get back once you are symptom-free," he said. "The majority of concussions will resolve themselves in seven to 10 days, and that s where we talk about this whole notion of being symptom-free. Upwards of 80 per cent of people will be better within six weeks." Following a brief period of rest, Laine s recovery begins with mild exercise, such as walking or a light cycle on a stationary bike. Then, on the next step, he will be challenged to jog or cycle at a quicker pace. The next phase is a return to the ice. "When (the team is) comfortable the person can tolerate the cardio-vascular exertion, then they put them on the ice where they ve taken away all of these visual distractions, so he s on the ice by himself," Bergeron said. "When they re comfortable he can do that and he can exert himself properly, then they will put him in a controlled practice, where there will be others around him. He will have to be able to tolerate others in his peripheral vision, coming back and forth, the sounds and the movement. That s a practice with no contact. "Then, he s put into a situation where he has to start making some quick decisions, so that s a scrimmage and he gets jostled around again so he gets a sense of confidence that, Yes, it s OK for me to get that contact, and I can get into a game situation. " When he returns, the concern, of course, for Laine, his family, the Jets and their fans is the young all-star s susceptibility to future head injuries. Dr. Erin Manning, assistant attending neurologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, specializes in the treatment of neuromuscular disorders, including the treatment of acute and chronic neurologic disease in athletes. She said for hockey players, the risk is always there. But devoting enough time to recovery is key to the prevention of recurring concussion problems. "We know that a previous history of concussion can make it harder to recover from future concussions," Manning said.

3 "We really have to ensure people get the time to heal before they return to playing the full sport, to hopefully prevent them from having these prolonged symptoms down the road if they get another head injury. "It s not that they get extra time, it s everyone working together to ensure they get the appropriate time." Confidence between the pipes Hellebuyck's excited for his recent strong play, but knows he can keep improving By: Mike Sawatzky Connor Hellebuyck has his groove back. He s coming off his third shutout of the season a 2-0 whitewash of the Calgary Flames Monday and he has six wins in his past nine starts. The state of his game is trending upward. "I like where it s at," the 23-year-old Winnipeg Jets goalie said Tuesday afternoon. "I ve got my confidence back. I m comfortable in the net, the work we put in and kinda seeing some of it show itself. I m excited because I know there s so much more I can get better at, so much more I can keep improving at." Hellebuyck is still relatively inexperienced. The third-year pro has made just 58 NHL appearances, including 32 games so far in , but he appears to be coming to grips with the often crushing pressure of being a No. 1 goaltender in the bigs. "There s a lot that goes into it," said Hellebuyck, who could get the start tonight when the Jets host the Montreal Canadiens (6:30 p.m.). "I don t know if I can sit here and tell you exactly what goes into that. But I know how I m feeling now and I like it." Head coach Paul Maurice admitted a more stable roster situation has helped. A prolonged injury crisis had as many as seven regulars out of the lineup simultaneously. "We didn t have a lot of support in front of him for the first 30 games," Maurice said. "We just didn t have the personnel or the rest to be good in front of him. And so, if there were inconsistencies in his game, it was probably very consistent with what our team was going through. We got off that stretch, we got a little bit healthier and other than one (game)... he s played very, very well. He looks more relaxed and comfortable." Hellebuyck s ability to overcome a bad game and grind out better performances the next time out has been crucial. He s won three of four starts since getting pulled after allowing four goals in 15 shots in a New Year s Eve loss to the New York Islanders. "For sure, the ability to cut a tough game off and come back and play so we ve seen that in his game," Maurice said. "For all of these (younger) guys, (they have to) develop a routine. Wear and tear is different here on your body, the mental strain of being the No. 1 guy is

4 different. But you still have to work and he still has to grow and spend time in the net and practise." Meeting the champ Former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar attended Monday s game and he spent some time visiting with his buddy, Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, and other members of the team in the locker room. "That was cool. That was really cool," Jets forward Mathieu Perreault said. "I was really jacked to see him. I m a UFC fan, too, so I liked when he was fighting UFC... "I shook his hand it s like a bear. It s huge. It was extremely impressive." Perreault, made one, ahem, mistake. He led Lesnar, an American who lives across the Manitoba border in Maryfield, Sask., across the locker room, trampling the Jets logo in the process. "I know, and I walked him right through it, too," Perreault said. "I didn t think about it and the guys started yelling. It was funny." Facing the Habs Perreault, a Quebec native, spent his formative years as a fan of the Nordiques, but playing against the Canadiens is a very big deal. "It always is because the game is on RDS back home," Perreault said. "Lot of family and friends there watching. It s always fun to play Montreal." The Habs and all-world goalie Carey Price will also be a big test for Mark Scheifele. "Obviously, a lot of skill," Scheifele said. "(Defenceman Shea) Weber with the big shot. (Max) Pacioretty s been on fire lately. We know they can score goals, we know they can make some plays, obviously some great goaltending. But the biggest thing for us is sticking to our game plan." The Jets have been much improved defensively in "Before last night, eight of our nine periods were great and you add three more last night," centre Nic Petan said. "I think we re on the right track. We ve just gotta play consistent. I think once we start worrying about our opponent, we kinda stray away. So we focus on ourselves we play well." And what to do about Price? "Lots of... shots," Petan said. "He s a great goalie and whenever we have lots of shots on net, we seem to be playing the right style." html

5 I'm not saying the Jets will do it... I'm saying they could By: Paul Wiecek They ve lost more often in regulation time this season than all but two other NHL teams. They were the only team in Canada not in a playoff position at one point last weekend. And the oddsmakers still have them listed as a prohibitive longshot to make the playoffs. One estimate gives the team just a 27 per cent chance. So why is it then that the Jets look more like a legitimate playoff contender to me right now than they have since their arrival in 2011, including the year they actually made the playoffs only to be swept four straight? Because I m stupid? Definitely a possibility. But let s consider another possibility because this is a really talented hockey team that quietly turned a corner in the past month. Crazy? Maybe. But let s go for a walk. With that 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames Monday night at MTS Centre, the Jets are now since ending a four-game losing streak in early December. They've beat Chicago, in Chicago. They ve posted gritty road wins on back-to-back nights in Florida. They are in their last six road games. They re been more disciplined in their own end and more opportunistic in their opponent s end. They ve been getting better goaltending. Jacob Trouba is playing the best hockey of his life. Ditto Nikolaj Ehlers. Blake Wheeler has 11 points in 11 games. They ve currently got four players in the top 30 in scoring. The Jets, along with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, are the only teams in the league with three players who have at least 37 points. The power-play is better, clicking in six of the last nine games. The penalty kill is perfect in the last three. And the second-period woes that were killing this team in 2016? Winnipeg has outscored opponents 7-2 in the second period through four games in Look, I m not saying it s going to be easy. This team dug itself a huge deficit through the first 10 weeks of the season and it s going to take quite a run through the second half to make up all that lost ground. How good of a run? Well, the general consensus right now appears to be the Jets will need to earn at least 49 points in their final 39 games in order to qualify for the playoffs with an anticipated minimum threshold of 92 points. So what would that look like? Well, a record the rest of the way would give the Jets that 92 points and that would give Winnipeg a better than 90 per cent chance of making the playoffs, according to the math gurus over at sportsclubstats.com.

6 Trade one of those five overtime losses for a win and the same guys say the odds would rise to better than 96 per cent with 93 points. So is that doable? Can a team that hasn t won three games in a row all season a team that turned a 3-1 third-period lead in Buffalo Saturday afternoon into a complete debacle put together that kind of run? Mathematically, the answer is clearly yes. For all the angst in Jets Nation over this team s failure to string three wins together this year, it s a bit of a red herring. If the Jets did nothing more the rest of this season than win two and lose one, over and over again, they would go (better if some losses came in overtime) and finish the season with at least 95 points, which the math guys will tell you would give them a 99.5 per cent chance of lacing up their skates in the playoff derby. Indeed, if any team did nothing all season long but intersperse consecutive wins with a regulation loss, they d finish the season with 108 points and be in the hunt for the President s Trophy. All of which is to say how about we put away the whole, "They can t even win three in a row" thing and talk about something that matters? It s not the failure to win three in a row that has put them in their precarious position. It was the five straight losses in November and December's four-game losing streak that separates them in the standings from the other six Canadian teams. And while we re on that subject, can we talk about the overcooked reaction over the past week to the Jets being the only Canadian team out of the playoffs at the season s midway point, which even included one paper blaring the headline: "Jets could be Canada's worst NHL team." Well, sure, they could be anything. But they re not. Ask yourself this: which Canadian team would you rather have as the principal tenant of the MTS Centre? The Canadiens, who pay the Jets a visit Wednesday? For sure. And Edmonton might be fun to watch every night just because of Connor McDavid. The Leafs? I wouldn t trade Patrik Laine for Auston Matthews or Winnipeg for Toronto, but to each his own. But Vancouver? Calgary? Ottawa? Don t make me laugh. The fans in Ottawa don t even want the Senators the National Post reported this week that Ottawa is averaging just 15,678 fans per game this season in a building that holds close to 19,000. The Sens have posted just one sellout through their first 20 home dates and hit rock-bottom back in October when they drew just 11,061 for a game against the Arizona Coyotes. As for the Jets, it s not a coincidence that the improvement of late has come at the same time as the team finally got close to being healthy at least until Laine went down with a concussion Saturday in Buffalo and the schedule-maker finally took his foot off this team s throat.

7 Given a reasonably healthy lineup and a schedule that is no longer making history as the most onerous in NHL history, this team has demonstrated over the past four weeks that it can compete night in and night out. Now, the uncertainty surrounding Laine's injury is obviously an ongoing concern. A return this week is a possibility. That d be good. But a return in weeks or even months is also always a possibility with concussions. And that d be a nightmare for a team trying to make a push for spring hockey. And the other lingering uncertainty moving forward is how Connor Hellebuyck will respond if, as it now appears, the team decides to ride him hard as their starting goaltender for the balance of the season. I have no idea how being the de facto No. 1 will look on Hellebuyck. But I am certain of this the Jets know what they have in Michael Hutchinson: a below-average NHL goalie. It s now time they find out what they have in Hellebuyck, for better or worse. As for the schedule the rest of the way, it gives the Jets every opportunity to succeed. Six of the nine games they will play before the all-star break at the end of the month will be against the Pacific Division, including teams they need to track down in the standings. And 21 of Winnipeg s final 39 games will be at home, including nine against Central Division rivals. Look, predicting the final regular-season standings three months from now is a fool s errand, even if we knew what Laine s prognosis was and how Hellebuyck will respond. But the Jets look a lot more like a playoff team to me today than they did a month ago, even if their position in the standings hasn t meaningfully changed. Like I said, maybe I m delusional. But what if I m not? Laine cracks NHL all-star roster 'Awesome player, awesome shot': Winnipeg's lone representative deserving of honour, teammates say By: Jason Bell Patrik Laine arrived in Winnipeg with such humble aspirations: he just wanted to make the team. Not only did the Finnish-born phenom easily crack the Winnipeg Jets opening-day roster, he s also an NHL all-star. Laine, 18, is the lone Jets representative on the Central Division roster for the 2017 NHL All- Star Game, the league announced Tuesday. The all-star weekend is Jan , hosted by the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.

8 "What a great honour for such a young man. He s earned it," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "He s such an exciting player to watch in a 3-on-3 format it would be fun to have him... hopefully, he can go. And, very probably, it won t be his last one." The question is whether the young sniper, currently out of the lineup with a concussion, will be able to participate. Laine, who has 21 goals and 16 assists to lead all rookies and was tied for 13th in NHL scoring before Tuesday s games, suffered the injury Saturday in Buffalo. He is out indefinitely. He s been around the Jets locker room the past few days, but because he s injured, isn t available to speak with the media. Maurice said he smiles when he thinks back to what the young man said during training camp. "I laughed at that quote from the very start of the year: his goal was to make the team. He felt that and I believe he felt that," the coach said. "He certainly has the confidence he can be a great player, so he s got some humility in this package of talent. I think because of that he s driven to be a better player." Only defenceman Dustin Byfuglien has represented the Jets at the all-star game since the team moved north from Atlanta in time for the campaign. If Laine can t play, expect either centre Mark Scheifele or left-winger Nikolaj Ehlers to suit up in his place. The linemates share the team lead with 37 points apiece. "I think the most frustrating part of the injury is the four or five games leading into it," Maurice said. "That line, and (Laine) especially, his game had made such improvements since the start of the year hopefully, he ll be back soon and continue on from there." Laine was taken second overall last summer at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo. He had an immediate impact after making the team, scoring a goal and adding an assist in the third period as the Jets rallied for a 5-4 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the season opener at the MTS Centre. He already has two hat tricks, coming at the expense of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars. Laine s teammates say he s an obvious candidate to represent the club in L.A. "It s not surprising to me," said veteran forward Mathieu Perreault. "I think, with the pace of the goals he s been scoring and the ways he s been scoring his goals, the skill set that he has, he definitely deserves to be in that game." Winnipeg centre Nic Petan agreed: "It s awesome. I think of myself as a young guy, but he s three years younger than me. It s pretty cool. Awesome player, awesome shot. He deserves it." Maurice said if Laine is unable to accept the NHL s invitation, captain Blake Wheeler would be a worthy replacement as well, noting Wheeler s leadership on and off the ice was critical as the Jets struggled through a streak of injuries and a hectic schedule prior to Christmas.

9 "We re in a block of games with seven guys out of our lineup and he s playing with Nic Petan at centre and Kyle Connor on the left wing. And we re on the road and we re trying to win games," Maurice said. "Then we played him twice at centre ice in Chicago and in St. Louis and won both those games. "So, in terms of value, us surviving that very, very difficult stretch, he was maybe the most important forward we had." Winnipeg Sun Jets can't seem to find way to get over hump By Ted Wyman, Winnipeg Sun Only twice this season have the Winnipeg Jets been able to say their points percentage was above.500. Once was after the first game of the season, when they beat the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime. The second time was from Nov , when they improved to a game over.500 with a 3-2 shootout win over the L.A. Kings, got to two games above the mark with a 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks and dropped back to one game above with a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Since that time, they ve been at.500 or at least the percentage the NHL defines as.500 five times and have lost the next game all five times. Overall this season, they are when they enter a game with a.500 record. They ll try again to get over that middling mark Wednesday night when they host the Montreal Canadiens at MTS Centre. To get over that hump, where we re over we haven t been able to do it in a long time, Jets winger Mathieu Perreault said Tuesday. We were there a little bit earlier in the year but after that, every time we get back to.500 it seems like we lose one or two games. Three of the last four we ve won so we re on a bit of a streak here. We are playing well so we ll just build on that. Inconsistency has been a problem for the Jets all season and it shows up in their inability to get above.500 and even win three games in a row despite having eight opportunities this year. Their most recent chance to do both things was Saturday in Buffalo, where they blew a twogoal, third-period lead and lost 4-3. They had an even record on Dec. 27 after a big 3-0 win over Chicago, but lost the next two, to Columbus and the New York Islanders. As coach Paul Maurice said Monday following a 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames, everyone in the Jets organization is acutely aware of where they are in the standings. It s going to take

10 continued, balanced performances like the one the Jets put forth against the Flames to make any headway in the standings. It is huge at this time of the year, Perreault said. We re fighting to try to get into the playoffs and from now on until the end of the year, every game is so important. The Jets have a good opportunity to earn some points Wednesday against a Montreal team that is on the season but is suffering from a rash of injuries. Regulars Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Andrew Shaw, David Deharnais and Andrei Markov are all out of the lineup. And it s not yet clear whether the Jets will face superstar goaltender Carey Price, who played Monday night in a 4-1 loss at home to the Washington Capitals. The Habs play the tail end of a back-to-back Thursday in Minnesota, so it s likely backup Al Montoya will be playing either Wednesday or Thursday. Normally Price starts the front end of back-to-backs, but since Montoya is a former Jets goaltender, it s possible he could get the nod. Either way, it s not so much about what Montreal brings to the table as what the Jets can do. Before (Monday) night, eight of our nine periods were great and then we had three more (Monday) night so I think we re on the right track, Jets fourth-line centre Nic Petan said. We ve just got to keep playing consistent. Once we start worrying about our opponent, we kind of stray away, so when we focus on ourselves, we play well. The Jets played a strong defensive game against the Flames, had great stick work in the defensive zone and didn t allow Calgary to generate a whole lot of quality scoring chances. Montreal poses another problem altogether. The Habs offence is driven by Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov up front and from veteran Shea Weber on the blue-line. They ve got lots of skill, Weber with the big shot, Pacioretty s been on fire lately, Jets centre Mark Scheifele said. We know they can score goals, we know they can make some plays and obviously have great goaltending. But we just have to continue to play our game. Judging from their up and down record, that s easier said than done. Doctor: We shouldn't cheer 'highlight hits' anymore By Paul Friesen, Winnipeg Sun Dr. Glen Bergeron saw the hit on Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine a few days ago, but he saw it a lot differently than you and I did.

11 The director of the Heads-Up Concussion Institute at the University of Winnipeg, Bergeron is also a sports fan. But he s not a fan of hits like the one that sidelined Laine with a concussion. I cringe when I see those hits, Bergeron told me. I see the brain inside the skull, and I know what s going on in there at the time of the hit. And it s frightening. As head athletic therapist at both the U of W and the U of M through the 1980s and 90s, Bergeron has treated countless athletes. Leg or arm injuries can be horrific, but there s nothing like dealing with head trauma, which often starts as the great unknown. I ve gone onto the ice or onto the field far too many times where one of my athletes has been totally motionless and I have the fear of god in me, Bergeron said. And I ve had two or three athletes who ve had traumatic brain bleeds who we ve had to rush to hospital and save their lives. One of those was at the University of Alberta. Another with a junior hockey team. Bergeron looked at Laine, prone on the ice in Buffalo on Saturday, and feared the worst. Did the 18-year-old Finn have a brain bleed, or was his brain just rattled? Nobody knew and nobody could know, he said. And all we could do was sit there and wait. I saw the hit and I looked at it probably another 10 times after that. Patrik Laine could just as easily have had a spinal cord injury, a concussion or one of those (brain bleeds). It was that high an impact. There are two reasons why the NHL now pulls concussed players from the game. One, we know the dangerous effects of concussion upon concussion, even more risky when the first brain injury hasn t yet healed. Secondly, the only way to know if an athlete has bleeding around the brain is to watch them closely. If neurological symptoms deteriorate, it s trouble. Bergeron has dealt with that emergency the athlete rushed to hospital, where they ll drill holes in their skull to relieve the pressure too often. Bergeron s experience has taken him down a road most of us will never travel. But he might be able to lead us to a different way of thinking. When I talk to athletes now, I say I don t want to see the highlight hit anymore, he said. Highlight hits are opportunistic. They re an opportunity when you can catch someone who s vulnerable and lay a licking on them. What you re doing is using excessive force to accomplish a task, but you re putting that person at risk. Hits have a place in hockey, to the extent that they achieve the objective they re supposed to achieve. And that is to remove the puck from the athlete. But not the athlete from the puck.

12 At this point in our conversation I had a confession: I enjoy hits like Jake McCabe s on Laine. Clean, by hockey s current rules, but devastating. Of course, I m not alone. One of the game s attractions is its brute force. It s in decline, sure, but who wants it to disappear entirely? As I wrote in this space a day earlier, Laine learned a valuable rookie lesson about keeping your head up. It is a very expensive lesson and it could have been much more expensive than that, Bergeron countered. Then he made an interesting point: if you could stop the action and ask McCabe, just before the hit, if he wanted to cause irreparable brain damage, he d no doubt say no. Yet, following through risked exactly that. He could have found another way of making contact and controlling him and it would have had the same result the puck would have gone away, Bergeron said. Without the risk. I ve always said the biggest problem we have with hockey right now is athletes have lost respect for each other. Or it s not top of mind. Maybe you could say the same about us. Do we really need highlight-reel hits, just for the sake of being entertained for a few seconds? Bergeron s experience and words got me re-thinking how I feel about them. From now on, I ll probably watch them differently, too. Encouraging signs with Laine's concussion It s nearly impossible to predict how long it will take the Jets Patrik Laine to recover from his concussion. Dr. Glen Bergeron, director of the Heads-Up Concussion Institute at the University of Winnipeg, says in many cases people rebound relatively quickly from a low of seven to 10 days to a high of six weeks from shaken brains caused by head trauma. A concussion is going to be different for everybody, Bergeron said. There will be people who fall on the quicker recovery side and people who fall on the longer recovery time. Concussions are no longer graded by severity when they first happen. The severity is determined by the symptoms, and how long they last. Laine, concussed Saturday in Buffalo, was seen around the rink on Monday, and although he didn t skate that s a good sign.

13 If he s up and about and not feeling like he has to stay in bed and away from bright lights or from teammates and loud noises and those kinds of things those are all really good signs that maybe his concussion is much more minor than it could have been, Bergeron said. Watching the hit many times over, Bergeron said he couldn t be sure if Laine was knocked unconscious. Their arms usually go up and then they fall down. And his didn t do that. And his head was rigid and up he didn t let his head fall down. So it s hard to tell right off the bat whether he was or not. Hellebuyck says confidence at 'top-notch' level BY TED WYMAN, WINNIPEG SUN Connor Hellebuyck says he s feeling peak confidence after winning three of the last four games in goal for the Winnipeg Jets. The 23-year-old, second-year goalie admits he had a few doubts earlier in the season, but he likes where his game is right now, especially coming off a 2-0 shutout of the Calgary Flames on Monday night. I wouldn t say I lost it... I would just say I have the top notch of it now, Hellebuyck said Tuesday when asked about his confidence level. I ve got my confidence back and I m comfortable in the net. The confidence where I know I m not losing it, no matter what happens. It came from improving every single day and knowing the team still has my back. Now they know I have their back. Hellebuyck s numbers have been improving. He s now on the season with a 2.65 goals against average and a.913 save percentage. He ll need to be at his very best Wednesday when the Montreal Canadiens come to town, especially if all-world goaltender Carey Price gets the start. I m really looking forward to it, Hellebuyck said. You always see all these highlight saves he makes so it s going to be pretty exciting to finally see it in person. He s a great goalie. Jets coach Paul Maurice has been riding Hellebuyck of late and is happy with what he s seen from a young goaltender. What I think we ve liked most is when he s had a tough night, he s been able to come back and be a real good goaltender the next day, Maurice said. It s a great mental sign in a goaltender that we are trying to develop into a No. 1 guy.

14 Laine named an NHL all-star BY TED WYMAN, WINNIPEG SUN Paul Maurice always thinks back to what Patrik Laine said when he arrived in Winnipeg for his first NHL training camp in September. His goal was to make the team and I believe he felt that, the Jets coach said Tuesday, after Laine was named to the NHL All-Star Game later this month in Los Angeles. Laine did a little more than make the team. The 18-year-old Finnish winger immediately flourished as a top-line player, scoring a goal in his first game, getting his first hat trick in his fourth game and posting 21 goals and 37 points in his first 42 NHL games. A strong candidate for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, Laine is currently out of the Jets lineup with a concussion after taking a huge open-ice hit from Buffalo s Jake McCabe last weekend. There is no timetable for his return, so there s no guarantee he will even be able to play in the All-Star Game, but it s no less of an achievement. What a great honour for such a young man and he s earned it, Maurice said. He s such an exciting player to watch and it will be fun to have him in the three-on-three format. Hopefully he can go. It probably won t be his last. If Laine can t play in the All-Star Game, either centre Mark Scheifele or left-winger Nikolaj Ehlers would be a good choice to replace him. Scheifele and Ehlers are tied with Laine for the Jets scoring lead with 37 points. Scheifele has 17 goals and Ehlers has 14. Absolutely, Maurice said. Statistically, for sure, they are right there. And the other name up front would be Blake Wheeler. The All-Star Weekend, which includes a three-on-three tournament, will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Jan Since the Jets moved from Atlanta in 2011, only defenceman Dustin Byfuglien has represented the team at all-star games. It was impossible to ignore what Laine has done in the first half of the season. His superb shot was obvious from the beginning, but he s also shown creativity passing the puck and has learned quickly about neutral and defensive zone play in the North American game. He has made such huge improvements since the start of the year in terms of learning the NHL game, Maurice said. Hopefully he ll be back soon and continue on from there.

15 Laine s teammates were thrilled for him on Tuesday. The personable Finn has fit as well in the dressing room as he has on the ice. With the pace of goals he s been scoring and the skill set that he has, he definitely deserves to be in that game, winger Mathieu Perreault said. It s very impressive. I m sure he doesn t really realize it yet being just 18 and just coming into the league. Sometimes it s easy to forget Laine is so young he won t turn 19 until after the season because he looks so comfortable on the ice and sounds so confident off of it. I think of myself as a young guy but he s three years younger than me so it s pretty cool, centre Nic Petan said. Awesome player, awesome shot and he deserves it. Defenceman Josh Morrissey, who would be a candidate for the Jets rookie of the year any other season, said the players are enjoying the Laine Show as much as the fans. He s had an amazing start to the year, Morrissey said. What he can do with the puck and how he can shoot the puck is pretty amazing to watch. It s spectacular so we all hope he can get healthy in a hurry here so he can enjoy it. Laine will be joined on the Central Division All-Star team by forward Patrik Kane and Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Tyler Seguin (Dallas) and Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis) as well as defencemen Duncan Keith (Chicago), P.K. Subban (Nashville), Ryan Suter (Minnesota) and goalies Corey Crawford (Chicago) and Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota). Sportsnet.ca 30 Thoughts: Avalanche, Coyotes setting high prices in trade talks BY ELLIOTTE FRIEDMAN 11. Boston kiboshed a potential Landeskog deal when the Avalanche insisted on Brandon Carlo, who is from Colorado Springs. I don t think it was a one-for-one, but part of a bigger deal. That is believed to be the second time this season the Bruins have said no to Carlo s inclusion. The first was Winnipeg, in a package for Jacob Trouba. It s clear he s making a major impression in Beantown. Boston suddenly is flush with young defensive prospects. NHL.com Auston Matthews favorite in Calder Trophy race Maple Leafs center, on tear since 13-game goal drought, chosen by NHL.com panel as top rookie at midseason

16 by Mike G. / NHL.com Staff Writer To mark the midpoint of the season, NHL.com is running its second installment of the Trophy Tracker series this week. Today, we look at the race for the Calder Trophy. Toronto Maple Leafs rookie center Auston Matthews went 13 straight games without a goal, from Oct. 27-Nov. 22, after scoring six in his first six games in the NHL, including four in his debut. During that stretch, he had the support of not only his teammates, but Toronto coach Mike Babcock. "When things don't go right and you experience momentary doubt, you need to just push through it and it's always brighter on the other side," Babcock said in November. To his credit, that's exactly what Matthews did. The 19-year-old has since scored 15 goals and has 22 points in 20 games, making him the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as best rookie in the League, according to a panel of 12 NHL.com writers. Anyone who has consistently watched Matthews from his days with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program recognizes the competitive fire within and ability to quickly process information to improve his overall game. Jim Johannson, USA Hockey assistant executive director of hockey operations, probably said it best when asked about Matthews' rapid ascent up the NHL rookie ladder. "The best way of describing it is even when he played in the men's (IIHF) World Championship (in 2016) for us, in 10 games, I thought he got better as a player just through the experience," Johannson said. "He had the puck enough that he started to figure out what was working at that level, and I think the same thing is going on in the NHL. I think he's figuring out what is more effective for him, and the compliment is he has the puck enough to do that. The way he's able to control play 1-on-1 is a separator, and I think he's continuing to show that separation." Matthews received 56 points in a poll of the panel, including eight of 13 first-place votes. Winnipeg Jets right wing Patrik Laine, who is out indefinitely after sustaining a concussion in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, was a close second with 47 points (three first-place votes). Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski was third with 41 points (one first-place vote), and Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner and Pittsburgh Pennguins goaltender Matt Murray finished fourth and fifth. Matthews is tied with Laine for most goals by an NHL rookie (21), leads first-year players at 0.90 points per game, and is second among rookies with 35 points, two behind Laine. He continues to improve on faceoffs, leading all rookies with 211 wins in 479 draws (44.1 percent). He is the only rookie to take 400 or more faceoffs. "He works hard every day, he's got a skill set that allows him to do things that a lot of other people can't do," Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "But on top of that, he's got a good brain, he works hard, and he's been playing with good teammates." Voting totals (points awarded on a basis): Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, 56; Patrik Laine, Jets, 47 points; Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, 41; Mitchell Marner, Maple Leafs, 17; Matt

17 Murray, Penguins, 11; Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames, 6; William Nylander, Maple Leafs, 1; Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers, 1. TSN.ca (VIDEO LINK) Poulin: Jets lose swagger without Laine While the Jets will lose the points and timely goals from the absence of Patrik Laine, Dave Poulin explains that they will also miss the swagger he brings to the club. Laine gets All-Star nod, Jets prepare for Canadiens Winnipeg wraps up two-game home stand tomorrow night by Mitchell / WinnipegJets.com WINNIPEG, MB - The combination of Monday night's 2-0 win over Calgary, and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar visiting the dressing room postgame, provided plenty of excitement for the Winnipeg Jets. The good vibes continued Tuesday, when the NHL announced Patrik Laine as an All-Star. "What a great honour for such a young man. He's earned it. He's such an exciting player to watch," said head coach Paul Maurice. "Certainly a 3-on-3 format would be fun to have him in it. We're hopeful he can go. It very probably won't be his last." Laine, who leads the Jets in goals (21) and is tied with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers for the team lead in points (37), got the all-star nod despite being sidelined with a concussion sustained in Saturday's loss to Buffalo. Prior to the injury, Maurice was impressed with the rookie's play of late. The trio of Laine, Ehlers, and Scheifele combined for 14 points on the team's recent three-game road trip. "Maybe the most frustrating thing about the injury is the four or five games leading into it, that line, and he especially, his game had made such huge improvements from the start of the year in terms of learning the NHL game," said Maurice. "Hopefully he'll be back soon and he can continue on from there. "I go back to that quote he had at the very start of the year, that his goal was to make the team. I believe he felt that. He certainly has also a confidence that he can be a great player. He's got some humility in this package of talent. Because of that he's driven to be a better player." The 2017 NHL All-Star weekend takes place in Los Angeles over the weekend of Jan

18 But if Maurice had his way, Laine wouldn't be the only Jet heading to Los Angeles for the festivities. Along with Scheifele and Ehlers, the head coach believes Blake Wheeler is an all-star in terms of what he's meant to the Jets this season. "We're in a block of games with seven guys out of our line-up, and he's playing with Nic Petan at centre and Kyle Connor on the left wing, and we're on the road and we're trying to win games," said Maurice. "Then we played him twice at centre ice in Chicago and St. Louis, and we win both games. In terms of value for us surviving that very difficult stretch, he may have been the most important forward that we had." HOSTING THE HABS Up next on Winnipeg's schedule is the Montreal Canadiens, who come into Manitoba's capital after a 4-1 loss to Washington at the Bell Centre. At , the Jets sit on the.500 mark for the ninth time this season. Mathieu Perreault believes it's time for the team to take the next step, string a few wins together, and stay above that.500 line in their hunt for the postseason. "It's huge this time of the year, we're fighting for playoff position and trying to get into the playoffs. From now on until the end of the year, every game is so important," he said. "It's three of the last four we've won, we're on a little bit of a streak here. We're playing well, so just keep building on that." The Jets sit one point back of the Los Angeles Kings for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference, and closed the gap on the holders of the top wildcard spot, the Calgary Flames, thanks to the 2-0 win over Calgary last night. Josh Morrissey, who played 18:04 in the victory, said the Jets have had only one period get away from them since the start of "Other than that one period in Buffalo that kind of got away from us, it was a really good road trip," Morrissey said of the Tampa Bay, Florida, and Buffalo trip. "To come back here last night against a team that's been playing some good hockey and a team that we're going to be battling with for that playoff spot, it was a big win for us." PRACTICE Paul Maurice Head coach Paul Maurice talks about Patrik Laine's All-Star nod, Wednesday's game against the Canadiens and more PRACTICE Mathieu Perreault Mathieu Perreault talks about what it was like to meet Brock Lesnar and tomorrow's game against the Canadiens

19 PRACTICE Connor Hellebuyck Connor Hellebuyck talks about his increasing confidence following a shutout victory against the Flames PRACTICE Josh Morrissey Josh Morrissey talks about what the Jets did well in Monday's win and how they plan to carry it over into Wednesday's game against Montreal PRACTICE Nic Petan Nic Petan looks ahead to Wednesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens PRACTICE Mark Scheifele Mark Scheifele refelcts on last night's win, and looks ahead tomorrow's game against the Canadiens Recap: Moose 2 at Tucson 5 By Daniel Fink Published: January 10, 2017 Manitoba Moose ( ) at Tucson Roadrunners ( ) Tuesday, January 10, 2017 Tucson Convention Centre, Tucson, AZ Scoring Summary F Tucson Roadrunners Manitoba Moose Shots By Period F Tucson Roadrunners Manitoba Moose Special Teams PP PK PIM

20 Tucson Roadrunners 2/6 7/7 16 Manitoba Moose 0/7 4/6 16 Goaltender Summary Goaltender MIN SA SV Tucson Roadrunners Adin Hill 59: Manitoba Moose Ondrej Pavelec 59: Goal Summary P TIME TEAM GOAL ASSIST ASSIST STR SCORE 1 0:16 MB Quinton Howden (8) Chase De Leo (10) Scott Kosmachuk (8) ES 1-0 MB 1 1:51 MB Scott Glennie (5) Brenden Kichton (7) Kevin Czuczman (11) ES 2-0 MB 1 17:44 TUC Stefan Fournier (2) Lindsay Sparks (2) ES 2-1 MB 2 3:52 TUC Christian Fischer (13) Jamie McBain (17) Kyle Wood (22) PP :31 TUC Brendan Perlini (12) Chris Mueller (22) ES 3-2 TUC 3 7:10 TUC Brendan Perlini (13) Chris Mueller (23) Jamie McBain (18) PP 4-2 TUC 3 17:06 TUC Brendan Perlini (14) Christian Fischer (13) EN 5-2 TUC Game Story The Manitoba Moose ( ) and Tucson Roadrunners ( ) met in their game rescheduled from Nov. 19 on Tuesday in Tucson. The visiting Moose wasted no time in making themselves feel at home. Scott Kosmachuk set up Chase De Leo, and his shot banked in off Quinton Howden for the opening marker just 16 seconds into the game. Before the contest was two minutes old, Scott Glennie pounced on a Brendan Kichton rebound from the back-wall and went up under the bar to beat Adin Hill for a 2-0 Moose lead. Tucson got one goal back in the late stages. Stefan Fournier set the puck out in front of the Manitoba net and it redirected into the goal off a Moose defender for a 2-1 game after 20 minutes. The second period belonged to the hosts. Christian Fischer tied the game 3:52 into the frame on a quick passing play for a powerplay goal. The tie game stood until just after the midway point of the period when Brendan Perlini snapped a shot to the twine right off the faceoff to put Tucson in front for the first time on the night. The Moose didn t lack for opportunities in the second, pumping 15 shots at Hill in the Tucson goal. The Roadrunners netminder turned all 15 away as Tucson carried a 3-2 lead to the third. The Moose began the third period with four minutes of powerplay time after a Fischer doubleminor at the end of the second. Manitoba couldn t manufacture a tying goal with the opportunity. Special teams continued to be the story as the Moose were assessed a pair of penalties at 6:45 of the period, facing a two minute five-on-three. Perlini struck for his second of the game 25 seconds into the two-man advantage. With over three minutes left, the Moose called Ondrej Pavelec to the bench for the extra attacker. Perlini took advantage, finishing off the natural hat-trick as Tucson closed out a 5-2 win.

21 Quick Hits Jack Roslovic played his first game since returning from the IIHF World Junior Championship. Kevin Czuczman matched his career high with his 11th assist of the season. Brenden Kichton has assists in four of his last five games. Game attendance was announced at 3,617. What s Next? The Moose return home to face the Chicago Wolves in games Friday (7 p.m. CT) and Sunday (2 p.m. CT) at MTS Centre. For tickets to each game, visit moosehockey.com/tickets