Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers is out indefinitely after taking a puck off his visor Thursday night.
Head coach Paul Maurice told media on Friday that Ehlers has blood in his eye chamber and that the Jets should know more in the next 24 hours. Maurice added that there’s no expectation Ehlers’ injury will be anything long term.
Ehlers was struck by New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson in overtime. Ehlers went down in pain while Islanders forward Kyle Okposo picked up the rebound to score the winner as New York edged Winnipeg 4-3.
“I’ll take ’em anyway I can get ’em. I haven’t scored in awhile,” Okposo said. “We broke up the play (in our own end) and I tried to go to the net and got a lucky bounce off Ehlers’ face and had a wide-open net.”
It was the Jets’ sixth-straight loss at home and ninth in their last 10 at MTS Centre.
Ehlers, 20, has 13 goals and 18 assists in 63 games during his rookie season. He’s also sixth in team scoring.
Winnipeg winger Anthony Peluso left Thursday night’s game with an upper-body injury. Maurice said that, best case scenario, Peluso would miss three to four weeks.
Defenceman Jacob Trouba didn’t skate on Friday and is probable for Saturday’s home game against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Jets recalled forward J.C. Lipon on an emergency basis Friday. Lipon is scoreless in two games for Winnipeg this season.
— With files from The Canadian Press
