Mark Scheifele Injury: Why did Winnipeg Jets captain exit game against Blackhawks?

Star Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks, forcing him to exit the contest prematurely. This injury follows a challenging week for Scheifele. He had already faced adversity after taking a puck to the ear in a previous game.

The injury occurred early in the second period when Scheifele, visibly affected, pulled up in discomfort during a power play backcheck on his first shift of the middle stanza of the game. This raised immediate concerns about the severity of the injury, and Scheifele was swiftly ruled out for the remainder of the game, possibly a combination of the injury occured tonight, and on Tuesday.

In the prior game on Tuesday, the 30-year-old had to leave early after a deflected Josh Morrissey slap shot struck him in the ear. Despite the injury, Scheifele seemed fully capable during the opening period of Thursday's game against the Blackhawks. However, he had notably taken precautions by wearing additional ear protection for the matchup.

The play that immediately followed added insult to injury for the Winnipeg Jets, as directly after Scheifele appeared injured and had to leave, the Chicago Blackhawks capitalized on the momentum, with a goal from Connor Murphy to break the scoreless tie. As of now in the second period, the score has remained 1-0 in favor of the Blackhawks,

Who could replace Mark Scheifele should he be out for an extended amount of time for the Winnipeg Jets?

If Mark Scheifele is sidelined for an extended period, the Jets may need to explore options, including calling up a forward from AHL Manitoba to fill the void left by the star center. Scheifele's absence would undoubtedly be a significant blow to the team, given his crucial role in the lineup.

One forward that could be extremely intriguing for the Jets is Colby Barlow. Barlow, who was the 2023 first-round pick for the Jets, has still been making waves this season with the Owen Sound Attack and recently signed his max-level ELC this September. Scheifele even had positive words on the youngster back in training camp.

Perhaps a more realistic name for the Jets is Brad Lambert, who has had several cups of coffee in the NHL over the past few seasons. Wyatt Bongiovanni is another name that was on the active roster most of the way through camp season.