Josh Morrissey exits Game 3 against Knights after just 74 seconds on ice, team reports defenseman will not return 

Josh Morrissey's early exit from Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights just made things go from bad to worse for the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets were trailing 2-1 in the first period when the defenseman had to walk down the tunnel after what looked like an injury he picked up in a play within two minutes of the first period.

The defenseman left the game at 1:50 of the first period following a collision with Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud earlier in the half. He was visibly limping as he walked into the Jets dressing room.

Josh Morrissey was second on Winnipeg in scoring this season with an NHL career-high 76 points (16 goals, 60 assists) in 78 games. Forward Kyle Connor (80 points; 31 goals, 49 assists) topped him, but Morrissey led the Jets with 24:14 on the ice per game.

Josh Morrissey had one assist in the Western Conference First Round but was a sore thumb for the Golden Knights' attack in Games 1 and 2.

If the Jets have to look for Morrissey's replacement for Game 4, or even the rest of the series, Logan Stanley and Kyle Capobianco would be next in line for playing time. Both are massive downgrades from Morrissey and put the team's chances of making it to the next round of the playoffs at risk.

Josh Morrissey joins two other crucial players on the Jets injured list

Nikolaj Ehlers has not played in a game since April 12th after he sustained an upper-body injury against the Minnesota Wild. The Jets were locked into the second Wild Card spot, which made sitting-out Ehlers an easy decision for the team.

Ehlers missed the game tonight after failing to get clearance from the medical staff. Prior to his injury, he had 12 goals and 38 points from 45 appearances in the regular season.

Cole Perfetti is another name on the Jets' injury list and has been out since February 20th. He was placed on injured reserve on February 21st and was soon sidelined for at least eight weeks due to an upper-body injury.

Perfetti has been great for the Jets, too, in his 51 games where he scored eight goals and had 30 points. He is set to miss at least four games in the first round of the playoffs and may join the team to help out in Game 5.

The Winnipeg Jets need all the help they can get. They will hope that Josh Morrissey's injury tonight will be short term and have him back in time for the next game.