Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Redmond is recovering after having surgery to repair a laceration to his right leg. 

Redmond sustained the injury at the Jets’ morning skate Thursday in Raleigh when a teammate accidentally stepped on him, making a deep cut in his thigh.

Redmond was taken to hospital via ambulance, where it took three hours of surgery to repair the laceration to his femoral artery and vein, according to Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press. 

This injury comes just over a week after Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson underwent surgery to repair a severed Achilles tendon, after he was cut by Matt Cooke’s skate.

Redmond, a 24-year-old rookie who has a goal and three assists in eight games this season, will be out indefinitely (per TSN). Redmond joins fellow blueliner Tobias Enstrom on the injured list. Enstrom is expected to be out for two weeks because of a shoulder injury. 

Jets head coach Claude Noel touched on how Redmond's injury would affect the team as they prepared to take on the Carolina Hurricanes later that night (via the Winnipeg Free Press).

It’s tough on your team. They will be rattled. It’s a teammate and there’s not much you can say. The guys are heading back (to the hotel). It throws a wrench into your pre-game (routine) but we’ll get it solved by time we get back here and ready to go. 

The Jets managed to beat the Hurricanes 4-3 to secure their second consecutive road win. Blake Wheeler had two goals including the game winner, while captain Andrew Ladd provided a goal and two assists. 

The Jets now have three games remaining on a five-game road trip, which is their longest of the season. They will visit the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday afternoon, take on the New Jersey Devils Sunday and head to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers Tuesday. 

The Winnipeg Jets sit with a 5-8-1 record. It’s a worse enough record to have them tied with the Washington Capitals for last place in the Eastern Conference.

The Jets will try to get back in the win column Tuesday night as they face off with Buffalo. They have dropped three straight games, all of which came on home ice. This isn't the same home-ice team from last season that won just about every game in the MTS Center.

With the way the next couple of weeks shape up, it could get even uglier.

Nine of the next 11 Winnipeg games are on the road. They hold a 2-3-1 record on the road already this season, but it’s no secret that they’re arguably the worst road team in hockey dating back to last season.

The nine road games are a mixture of division rivals, teams that have started off slow but have caught fire as of late and already dominant teams such as New Jersey who they face three times during this stretch.

Their next 11 games look like this:

• at Buffalo
• at Carolina
• at Philadelphia
• at New Jersey
• at New York Rangers
• vs. New Jersey
• vs. Washington
• at Florida
• at Tampa Bay
• at Florida
• at New Jersey

This is a pretty difficult stretch and the Jets will be facing a lot of hungry teams.

Take Tuesday night’s game for instance. The Sabres are only two points up on the Jets in the standings, but they’re an extremely difficult matchup. They have been playing solid hockey as of late, but just aren't getting the wins. They’re a few clicks away from ripping off a solid win streak.

Unfortunately, when teams are in skids or slumping, they usually find their game against the Jets. The Jets have become the NHL’s very own slump busters.

The Jets’ most difficult games during this stretch are against Philadelphia, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay and New Jersey on three separate occasions. So far this season, the Jets have kept almost every loss they’ve suffered close. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep some of the coming games close on the scoreboard.

Some of the struggles remain and hope of them getting fixed is starting to run out. The Jets have played well, really well at times, but the inconsistencies continue to follow this team.

Solid goaltending along with a strong defensive effort is going to be key during this stretch. With top-defenseman Tobias Enstrom out for an unknown amount of time, players are going to have to step up. The Jets need to find their scoring touch, too. The Jets haven't scored more than two goals in any of their previous five games.

Realistically, it would be an unforeseen miracle if the Jets were able to even come out of this stretch over .500.

To sum it up: 11 games and 22 points a at stake. Nine of the 11 on the road, the other two at home. There was once a time when home games could almost be seen as guaranteed points, but that isn't the case now. If the Jets are able to come away with half of the points at stake, it would be seen as a success.

It’ll take some massive improvements to not come out of this stretch all but buried. Before you know it, the Jets could be out of any possible playoff scenario.

Parity is still very existent in the NHL, however. The Jets are only six points back of the division-leading Hurricanes. Anything is possible, but don’t hold out much hope.

If the Jets want to remain alive for this season, they’re going to have to surprise just about everyone. Or else, it’s time to hop on the Seth Jones bandwagon and look forward to the NHL draft.

The Winnipeg Jets fell 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday and one of their best defensemen, Tobias Enstrom, left the game in the first period and didn’t return. 

Enstrom was hit along the boards by Pascal Dupuis and immediately left the ice and went down the tunnel. It appeared as though he was favoring his right arm. 

According to TSN.ca, Winnipeg head coach Claude Noel suggested after the game that Enstrom could be out a while, stating, "it won't be day-to-day."

The 28-year-old leads the Jets in scoring and is second among NHL blueliners with 13 points in 13 games this season. 

Zach Bogosian made his season debut against the Penguins and helped fill the void left by Enstrom. Only Ron Hainsey and Dustin Byfuglien played more than Bogosian, who was on the ice for over 25 minutes. 

Despite a few mistakes early which allowed Craig Adams to score the game’s first goal, the Jets played well for the most part. 

They were outshot 28-26, but consistently applied pressure in the Penguins' zone, which resulted in a number of good scoring chances in the second and third periods. If not for a strong performance by Marc-Andre Fleury, the Jets may have come out on top. 

James Neal put the Penguins up 2-0 on a 5-on-3 power play late in the third, but Andrew Ladd scored to cut the lead in half soon after. With the Jets pressing in the final minute, Evander Kane fanned on a shot, which led to Adams scoring his second of the night, albeit on an empty net. 

Perhaps most notable was the play of newly acquired forward Eric Tangradi, who made his Jets debut against his former team. Tangradi had four hits, two blocked shots and was good on the forecheck in 12:42 of ice time.

Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec performed better than he has of late, stopping 25 shots in the loss.

The Jets outhit the Penguins 34-24, had a better turnover ratio, but once again failed to get the job done on special teams, going 0-for-2 on the power play. Their power play ranks 13th in the league, while their penalty kill is still dead last in the NHL.

The Jets continue to fall in the Eastern Conference standings and are now in 12th place, four points out of the playoffs. On top of that, it's possible Enstrom could miss significant time, just when it seemed like Winnipeg's blue line was healthy.  

The first quarter of the NHL season for the Winnipeg Jets is in the books.

In this report, I’m going to break down and analyze everything that happened in the first quarter of the season. I’ll start by analyzing all aspects of the team and then break down some of the players. I’ll touch on some other subjects as well.

But first, I’ll start with some team analysis.

Team Analysis

It’s been an interesting quarter for sure. Going into the season, there weren’t many expectations for the team. And so far, the Jets aren’t looking like a team that will be exceeding any type of low-ball prediction.

The Jets hold a record of 5–6–1 and sit at third place in the Southeast division. They are exactly what their record indicates—a bubble .500 team.

The Jets are an inconsistent bunch. Not only in-game, but also game-by-game. They’ll win one, give the fans some hope, but lose their next game only to disappoint again. It’s a cycle that seemed to continue, except only the losses came in bunches.

The Jets looked like an improved team through the first five games. They started off with a nice 3–1–1 record and looked like they would be one of the surprise teams of the season. They’ve even had some impressive wins over teams like Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately, it started to go downhill after that.

They started losing more games than they won. I mentioned that they’re also inconsistent in-game. That’s because they are.

The Jets as a whole usually fail to play an entire 60 minutes. One game they’ll show up for the first 40 minutes and disappear for the final 20, and then another they won’t show up until the final 20. The team is finding it hard to put together a complete effort on a nightly basis.

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the game plan. The Jets will look like a dump and chase team with failed cycles and offensive zone turnovers. The offensive zone turnovers have been noticeable and just kill possessions.

Team defense is an issue. The Jets are usually on the end of failed clearances or turnovers in the defensive zone which lead to goals or grade A opportunities. Once an opponent is established in the Jets zone, it’s not difficult to move the puck and set up for golden chances.

Sustaining leads is a major issue. On many of their losses, the Jets had third period leads which they were unable to hold. The games against Toronto, Montreal and Florida are at least three of the games where this issue was present.

The reason for this is because the Jets do not play to win the game when they take a lead. Instead, they play to not lose the game. Meaning, they sit on the puck instead of bringing pressure and padding their lead. No lead is ever safe in the NHL and the Jets have learned that the hard way.

When the Jets are on, they’re tough to beat. But that isn’t usually the case and it might be because of the many problems this team has.

They’re a young team, so some of the problems, such as the inconsistencies, are expected. They’ll have to grow up soon if they want to make something out of this season. Any hope of making the playoffs could start to go downhill soon.

Special Teams

The special teams have been just plain awful. The Jets are currently ranked dead last in penalty kill percentage. Being dead last probably doesn’t justify just how bad that bunch has been. I can think of at least three games that were lost due to the poor penalty kill.

As of late, the penalty kill has been a little bit better, but a lot has to do with the Jets not taking so many penalties.

The penalties were a major problem that went on for a good handful of games. Dumb, untimely, and unnecessary just about sums up the types of penalties the Jets took. A lot of the penalties resulted in goals against and a lot of those goals resulted in losses. The Jets dug themselves in holes a few too many times.

The Jets' power play is surprisingly ranked 12th in the league. Maybe this is the year of bad power plays because being 12th doesn’t seem so bad on paper. The Jets' power play in a nutshell: unable to generate chances, unable to gain the line, unable to set up. It’s been bad.

Goals For and Goals Against

The Jets are ranked 18th in the league with 32 goals on the season. They’re 25th in the league with 39 goals against. Obviously your record is usually indicative of your goals for vs. goals against. The Jets give up more than they score.

The Jets' weakest period has been the first where they’ve only scored seven total goals. They’ve scored 12 times in the second period and 11 times in the third. They also have two overtime winners.

To no surprise, the Jets' goals for and goals against ratio is much better on home ice.

A lot of goals the Jets give up are on the penalty kill. They’ve given up a total of 13 goals on the penalty kill. Special teams aside, let’s look at 5-on-5 play.

When it comes to even-strength hockey, the Jets have scored 19 times, but have allowed 24 goals. They’ve been better 5-on-5, but inconsistent in this aspect just like they are many others.

Trends

Oddly enough, when the Jets score first in games, they have a losing record. When they trail first, they have a .500 record.

The Jets are undefeated when leading after either the first or second period. They’re a losing team when trailing after the first or second period.

Forwards

The forwards have played well, but not well enough at times. Goal scoring has been inconsistent from this group— and nonexistent at times.

Andrew Ladd leads the team in goals with six. Blake Wheeler is second with four and Evander Kane is third with three. Go figure, the three most relied upon forwards to score goals and set them up are all in the top three. That’s a good sign, but they have to have more goals to this point.

Secondary scoring has been a huge issue.

Alex Burmistrov and Nik Antropov both only have one goal in 12 games. Kyle Wellwood has yet to score a single goal through 10 games. This is a problem. Some of the secondary players have to step up and start contributing to the offense on the score sheet.

The forwards are usually solid on the forecheck as well as the backcheck. These two aspects have rarely been an issue.

Defensemen

You always know what you’re going to get out of guys like Tobias Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien. Enstrom is up there with the league leaders in points, and Byfuglien is scoring goals and providing offense from the point. Both have been Grade A outstanding offensively — and defensively to boot.

Another standout has been Zach Redmond. Redmond made his debut when Byfuglien went down with an injury. He has played sound, outstanding defense for a rookie. He also contributes offensively with a nice shot and good instincts.

Two defensemen that have to play better are Ron Hainsey and Mark Stuart. Both of them have a knack of getting lost in their own end. Of the two, I’m more surprised that Stuart hasn’t been the same old Stuart who brings the pain.

Paul Postma and Grant Clitsome have been good “fill-ins” when needed. Both have had ups and downs. The defense as a whole block a ton of shots, which make up for the lack of defense at times.

Once injured defenseman Zach Bogosian returns to the lineup, it will fill a huge need at the defensive position for Winnipeg.

Goaltending

In the early going, goaltending has been a concern.

Ondrej Pavelec hasn’t been the Ondrej Pavelec from last season. He isn’t close to the same form from last season where he was dominant almost every game.

Al Montoya had a couple of good games—one being an outstanding shutout against the Senators. He’s been a solid backup thus far.

Overall, it’s not always the goalie's fault. In a lot of cases, the defense could be blamed for not doing its job or leaving guys wide open. But so far, neither Pavelec nor Montoya have been able to make that huge stop.

The Winnipeg Jets made a couple of trades Wednesday, a day after they lost 3-2 at home to the Philadelphia Flyers. 

According to TSN.ca, the Jets traded a seventh-round pick in the upcoming draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Eric Tangradi. 

A few hours later, the Jets sent Alexei Ponikarovsky to the New Jersey Devils for a seventh-round draft pick in 2013, as well as a fourth-round pick in 2014. 

Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made the following comments on the trades (per TSN): 

We went out and acquired (Tangradi) and upon acquiring him we had the opportunity to open up some roster space and some ice time for him. We're very hopeful that he is someone that, given an opportunity to play within our organization, is going to blossom and continue to move forward.

It was really more about creating an opening and an opportunity for Eric as opposed to anything with Alexei. 

It appeared as though the Penguins had high expectations for Tangradi, as they acquired him and Chris Kunitz from the Anaheim Ducks at the 2009 trade deadline in exchange for Ryan Whitney. However, Tangradi failed to become a top-six forward with the club, registering just a goal and five points in 45 NHL games.   

Tangradi was selected 42nd overall in the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. Standing 6'4" and weighing 221 pounds, the 24-year-old does offer good size and strength. Tangradi had 42 hits in 24 games last season.

Perhaps a change of scenery will help Tangradi to develop into a better player offensively. Regardless, the Jets only gave up a seventh-round pick and they did receive two draft picks for Ponikarovsky, who was on a one-year contract. 

Ponikarovsky, 32, had little impact in his 12 games with the Jets this season. He had just two points, 10 shots, was a minus-two and played less than 12 minutes per game. He also had less of an impact physically than in previous years.

With a quarter of the season gone, the Jets sit 11th in the Eastern Conference, three points out of the playoffs. 

While these are far from blockbuster deals, perhaps they will send a message to the rest of the Jets players. If not, there will likely be a few more moves made by the deadline—especially if the Jets aren't in the thick of the playoff race. 

The Winnipeg Jets are going to have a stockpile at defense when both Dustin Byfuglien and Zach Bogosian return to their lineup.

Byfuglien is expected to make his return to the lineup on Tuesday after missing the past five games. Bogosian, on the other hand, started skating with the team again last week and is expected to return sometime this month.

Outside of Byfuglien and Bogosian, the Jets have Tobias Enstrom, Mark Stuart, Ron Hainsey, Grant Clitsome, Paul Postma, and Zach Redmond—a total of eight defensemen. Obviously, only six are in the lineup each night. It’s convenient to have a seventh defenseman.

That leaves the eighth spot. Is there really a point to carrying eight defensemen nowadays?

If the Jets were looking to trade one of their defensemen, who would be the odd man out?

Let’s break down the Jets' defense.

Byfuglien, Enstrom and Bogosian make the top three and are obviously keepers. After those three is where it gets tricky.

Redmond has been outstanding. In my books, he remains in the lineup each night going forward. The same can almost be said for Postma and Clitsome. With that being said, Clitsome, Redmond and Postma have been outplaying Hainsey and Stuart in the early going—the two I’ve yet to mention but hadn’t forgotten about.

Hainsey seems to be the fan-favorite whipping boy. Stuart used to be the fan-favorite hitting-machine, but we haven’t seen that aspect of his game this season. If I had to keep one of the two, it’d be Stuart for the intensity he brings. That leaves Hainsey as the odd man out.

Hainsey makes $4.5 million on this, the final year of his contract. His contract is more tradable than ever since there’s only one year left on it. It’s almost guaranteed Hainsey will be a goner after this season regardless of what happens.

Whether shopping Hainsey or even Stuart is a possibility or not, I’m suggesting that it’s something that has to be considered so the up-and-comers remain in the lineup and continue to grow.

I’ve seen this situation too many times with this franchise. The young player is usually the one who has to sit because of the belief that a veteran gives the team a better chance at making the playoffs. I couldn’t disagree more with that belief, especially in this situation.

The Jets aren’t a playoff team. Making the playoffs would be a dream come true. Besides, someone like Hainsey wouldn’t make or break the Jets' chances of making the playoffs any more than Redmond would. Let the rookies continue to progress.

In the absence of both injured Jets defensemen, young players have stepped up mightily—especially Redmond, about whom I can’t stop raving. If Redmond doesn’t play the way he does when Byfuglien went out, this article wouldn’t exist.

It’ll be tough seeing guys like Redmond and Postma sit in the press box, especially with how good both of these youngsters have been playing. Unless a trade is made to free up space, two of eight of the Jets defensemen will be consistent scratches.

I’m afraid it’ll be the one I’m raving about.

For the second straight season the Winnipeg Jets have sent Mark Scheifele back to junior. 

According to TSN.ca, the 19-year-old forward was reassigned Wednesday to the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. 

Scheifele was the first player to be drafted by the new Winnipeg franchise. He was selected seventh overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft and scored one goal in seven games last season before being sent back to Barrie. This season, Scheifele was held off the scoresheet in all four of his appearances. 

Despite his lack of production and another short stay in the NHL, it is still too early to say that the Jets made a mistake drafting Scheifele. Not all early draft picks are ready to step into the NHL immediately and more time in junior should be beneficial for Scheifele’s development. 

If he had stayed in Winnipeg Scheifele would likely continue to see limited ice time during most games and take a seat in the press box during others. In four games, Scheifele was averaging just 11:31 in ice time and was moved from his regular position at center to right wing. 

In Barrie he will play top line minutes on a team that has the potential to make a deep run in the playoffs. He will also have the opportunity to consistently play in a variety of game situations including on the power play, penalty kill, late in close games, etc. 

On top of that, Scheifele will be coached by Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk, who knows the pressures of being a first-round draft pick in Winnipeg as he was selected first overall by the Jets in the 1981 NHL entry draft. Hawerchuk will help Scheifele continue to develop as both a player and a leader. 

Scheifele is currently fifth on the Colts in scoring and second in plus/minus, despite already missing 20 games. He should continue where he left off and have a huge impact on the team as the season progresses. 

At this point there is no need for Winnipeg to rush Scheifele if he isn’t ready. The Jets should remain in the playoff hunt throughout the season, while Scheifele will improve and build confidence at the junior level. 

Winnipeg fans and the Jets organization need to continue to be patient and hope Schiefele is ready to be a regular in the lineup next season. 

A three-day break couldn't have come at a better time for the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are coming off a rough loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night and now endure a three-game losing streak.

It's been an up and down start to the 2012-13 season. The Jets sit in second place in the Southeast division, but own a 3-4-1 record. It's the previous three games that have everyone worrying and asking where they go from here.

For the Jets to get back on track, some necessary changes will have to be made. Whether it be a physical change or a mental change, a major change or a minor change, it'll have to start with Jets head coach Claude Noel.

Let's take a look at some of the problems that the Jets have been facing.

First and foremost, it starts with the penalty kill. The Jets penalty kill has been absolutely abysmal throughout the first eight games. They sit last in the league with a 59.3 penalty kill percentage.

One of the main focal points for the Jets going into the season was how well their special teams would perform. It was sort of the make-or-break aspect of their game. They were a mediocre bunch on the penalty kill last season, so expectations were low to begin with.

And so far, the Jets penalty kill is beyond abysmal. It's a complete failure. The penalty kill is the number one reason the Jets lost each of their previous three games. It single-handedly cost them potential wins in all three.

Noel has some time to work with the penalty kill and come up with solutions, but this is becoming a major problem and it has to be fixed. The Jets' style seems a bit lackluster and they don't have the best personnel to put on the penalty kill, but to be that awful is completely unacceptable.

Granted, you have to stay out of the box, too—something the Jets are becoming a little too familiar with. Which leaves us with another problem: the undisciplined, untimely, and at times, boneheaded penalties.

It doesn't matter how bad a penalty kill is, teams will score when they're getting all-you-can-eat trips to the power play. Whether it's 5-on-3 man advantages, four-minute double minors, or five-minute majors, the Jets seem to be giving them all away.

Most of the penalties the Jets take occur during crucial times of the game. And most are easily avoidable or are taken out of sheer stupidity. Regardless, it's unacceptable to take penalties like it's their job.

Noel has to find ways to discipline his team because obviously whatever he’s doing isn’t working. The players have to play smarter and leaders have to step up. This is when Jets' captain Andrew Ladd has to step up and have a few words with his teammates.

The penalties and the penalty kill are the two biggest problems facing this team going forward, but there are other issues surrounding them as well.

Another concern that could spark change is the Jets lineup. It's concerning in a couple of ways. You can't really change this, but you have to be undoubtedly worried about it.

Injuries.

Dustin Byfuglien, arguably their best defenseman, has missed the past two games and is considered day-to-day. Zach Bogosian is still recovering from offseason surgery and doesn't have an accurate timetable for return. Both players contribute a great deal and are needed in the lineup.

In lieu of these two injured defensemen are younger, inexperienced defensemen trying to assume roles that they're unable to. As a result, the Jets lineup has become weaker.

Speaking of the lineup, maybe there are indeed changes that have to be made. Either that, or Noel still needs time to figure out who fits and who doesn't. It's been eight games. Decisions have to be made. The Jets have forwards that aren't seeing time.

Kyle Wellwood, who had his best season of his career with the Jets last year, has been a consistent scratch. What happens when injured-reserved forward Antti Miettinen is healthy?  And then there's the Mark Scheifele factor.

An inevitable decision will be made. Scheifele is on the brink of his fifth NHL game this season and the decision whether to send him back to the OHL or keep him on the roster has to be made. It's not a decision to take lightly as Scheifele will be a big part of this franchise someday. The question is when.

A lot of factors have to be considered, but the most important to consider is his ice time. It's not a difficult decision to make. If Scheifele stays, he has to be in the lineup every night. Period. Otherwise, it's best to send him back to Barrie to finish out the year because being scratched isn't the best thing for him.

I don't suspect a trade in the near future, but the Jets have a stockpile at forward. I don't see how Scheifele fits unless the Jets move an expendable forward. Forwards like Wellwood might be scratched every other night.

Remember, through all of this, the Jets are still a young, rebuilding team. They're going through a slight bump in the road and will probably go through it a few more times this season. It's expected.

Noel has to find a way to fix some of these problems if the Jets are going to get back on track. Otherwise, it's going to be the longest shortest season of all time.

Don't hit the panic button yet. The Jets can fix this.

Unfortunately for the Winnipeg Jets, they are without star player Dustin Byfuglien as he deals with a nagging injury.

UPDATE: Monday, Feb. 4, at 1:21 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Dustin Byfuglien is currently doubtful for tomorrow's game, according to Winnipeg Free Press' Ed Tait.

#NHLJets Claude Noel lists Dustin Byfuglien as doubtful for Tuesday's game vs Fla #bn

— Ed Tait (@EdTaitWFC) February 4, 2013

---End of update---

TSN's Sara Orlesky first broke the news on Twitter:

Dustin Byfuglien will not play tonight #nhl z#nhljets

— Sara Orlesky (@saraorlesky) February 1, 2013

According to Yahoo! by way of RotoWire.com, head coach Claude Noel wouldn't really specify what sort of injury Byfuglien had:

Coach Claude Noel would offer no clarity on the injury other than Byfuglien "aggravated something," so consider him day-to-day as we await further word on the extent of the ailment. Byfuglien's seven points on the season are tied for fourth in the NHL among defensemen this season.

Byfuglien is an extremely versatile player, having played right wing earlier in his career with the Chicago Blackhawks before settling back to his typical position of defense with the Jets.

The 27-year-old's injury isn't disclosed as of now, but his 6'5", 265-pound presence is irreplaceable on the ice. Not only is he able to stonewall many shot attempts and opposing attacks towards the Jets' net, he is also a heavy contributor on offense.

Through six games in this young, lockout-shortened season, Byfuglien has already put up three goals and four assists.

Tampa ranks first in the NHL, scoring just under five goals per game thus far. The Lightning are currently undefeated in the friendly confines of the Tampa Bay Times Forum as well. They pack plenty of firepower on offense, led by veterans Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and the prodigious 2008 No.1 overall pick, Steven Stamkos.

Considering that Byfuglien is not only the team's best defender but is also tied for the Jets' lead in goals scored, his absence is going to be especially difficult to overcome.