Jets return from break, Appleton ready for action

WINNIPEG, MB- A 90-minute practice for the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday was to be expected - after all, they haven't been on the ice as a formal group since their win on Jan. 30th over the St. Louis Blues.
Was it welcomed by the players? Perhaps. But for Mason Appleton, it was literally what the doctor ordered.

The forward shed his red non-contact uniform for his first regular skate since his injury on Nov. 13 against the Seattle Kraken.
"I was in that non-contact jersey for quite a while there," said Appleton.
"Timing of the (bye week) kind of wasn't ideal with it, but, you know, we had a good conversation right before the break, knowing that the hand would be good coming off the break."

Appleton's injury was certainly a fluky one. As he rushed up the ice through the neutral zone, his stick got stuck in the hole the referees use to communicate with the timekeepers and ended up causing the injury, requiring surgery.
"Yeah. I mean, fluky, freaky, it's all the above. Just glad they fixed (the holes in the glass) and changed it in all the rinks now, so that can't happen again, which is nice to see," said Appleton.
Appleton skated on a line with Kevin Stenlund and Sam Gagner during practice and looks to make his return to the lineup on Saturday against Chicago.
"He hasn't played in three months, so we're going to slowly work him into the lineup and watch his minutes very closely," said head coach Rick Bowness.
"We've missed him, no question, and we're happy to get him back. He's another player that's going to help us defend and kill penalties. Good on the wall and everything."
TODAY'S SKATE
Head Coach Rick Bowness put the team to work, planning a practice that resembled what you might see early in training camp.
"We had a good practice today. We pushed them hard today," said Bowness.
"We scrimmaged. We tried to create some game situations out there with some of our drills and they worked hard. Give the players a lot of credit, they were off of the ice and they came out today and worked very, very hard, which is important."

Here's how today's lines looked. Keep in mind, we're still a few days out from Saturday's game.
Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Dubois- Perfetti
Barron-Lowry-Jonsson-Fjallby
Gagner-Stenlund-Appleton
Maenalanen, Kuhlman

Morrissey-Pionk
Dillon-Samberg
Stanley-Schmidt
Capobianco
INJURY UPDATES
Both Dylan DeMelo & David Gustafsson were absent from today's skate. DeMelo missed the final two games before the All-Star break while David Gustafsson hasn't played since Jan. 10.
"They skated earlier on their own," said Bowness.
"They're not quite ready to participate in a full team practice. They will skate again tomorrow and we'll go from there."
BYE WEEK ADVENTURES
The Jets scattered from Manitoba over the bye week, with many soaring South to catch some warm temperatures and sunshine.
Nikolaj Ehlers went East. Far East. All the way back to his home country of Denmark.
"I went home to see family. Saw a couple friends. It was a nice little break," said Ehlers.

A long trip for a seven-day break, no doubt. But the benefits of turning off your mind from the game and getting in quality family time is something the 26-year-old is hoping to benefit from during the push for the playoffs.
"It's big. You think about hockey every single day. To be able to get a break and kind of get your mind off it. You still take care of your body and stuff like that. But just relax, have a good time with family and friends and not think about it every single day is pretty big," said Ehlers.
For Adam Lowry, a trip to Mexico hit the spot.
"It was great to get away. It was good timing, too. The weather wasn't the best here and we came back and it seems like it's changed," laughed Lowry.
"It was nice to get away, nice to recharge mentally and physically and really looking forward to these last 30 games."

Jets fans are everywhere - including Lowry's flights to and from his vacation.
"The plane rides there and back were eventful, but it was a lot fun," said Lowry.
"Coming back, a lot of fans on the flight and they're all excited for the second half. It's nice to have the community behind you regardless of where you go."