Pionk returns to practice, Wheeler absent as Jets prepare for Sabres

WINNIPEG - Monday was a good news-bad news type of day for the Winnipeg Jets.
The good news came before practice even started, as Neal Pionk was on the ice in a regular jersey about 15 minutes before his teammates joined him for practice at Canada Life Centre.
The defenceman had been in concussion protocol since the hit he received from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza on December 5.
While Pionk looks primed to return to the line-up tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres, the Jets received some bad news on Blake Wheeler's injury.
Wheeler will be out "weeks, not days" according to head coach Paul Maurice.
"Probably another three or four days all the swelling will come down," said Maurice. "(Then) we'll have a better idea how long it's going to be."

Wheeler had 10 points in his last five games (including three against the Vancouver Canucks on the night his injury occurred), a stretch that included his 1,000th career NHL game against the Maple Leafs a little over a week ago.

"It's a big loss, on the ice and off the ice," said Pierre-Luc Dubois. "To fill in his boots, it's going to take the whole team to contribute, not just on the ice but off the ice, too."
The Jets have played without Wheeler this season, during a five-game span when the 35-year-old was out with COVID-19.
Winnipeg won four of five games in that stretch, an experience they'll lean on during Wheeler's absence.
"A lot of guys stepped their game up, we got them back and everybody wants to keep rolling, keep going like that," said Dubois. "I think that's when we're going to be in our best mode of the season, is when everybody's going at full force."

Without Wheeler at Monday's 45-minute practice, the Jets line rushes looked like this:
Connor-Scheifele-Copp
Stastny-Dubois-Ehlers
Harkins-Lowry-Vesalainen
Beaulieu-Toninato-Svechnikov
Morrissey-Schmidt
Dillon-Pionk
Stanley-DeMelo
Andrew Copp was the one who got the tap on the shoulder - as he often is - to change his spot in the line-up when the team needs him.
He's used to it at this point, and the 27-year-old will have to play on his off wing with the Jets having only one right-handed forward available (Mark Scheifele) due to Wheeler's injury.
Still, Copp - who has 20 points this season - is confident his trio with Scheifele and Kyle Connor will work well together.
"We played one game together this year against Minny and it went really, really well for us," said Copp, referencing the third game of the season when that line combined for eight points.
"I feel like if we play fast, just kind of not overthink it, kind of read off each other and fill those lanes, I feel like that kind of leads to us playing fast and we can have some real success."

The team's top power play unit will also see some changes. Pionk's return sees him move to the point with Scheifele, Connor, and Dubois, with Copp in the slot.
"I'm not used to having a righty on the other side, so it is a little different," Copp said. "The biggest thing for me, is when we do break out the puck, is to get zone entries and we've been pretty good at that and then just support the puck all over the ice and then creating that chaos in front of the net and finishing on those chances."
As for Pionk, he still sees a right-handed player on his right - this time it's Scheifele - and a lefty on his left in Connor.
"I was working on it a bit with Scheif today," said Pionk. "It's still the same hands, as far as a righty on my right and a lefty on my left. Obviously Scheif's got a little bit different look with Copper in the middle versus a righty shot in the middle. As long as we talk off the ice and work on the ice to build that chemistry, I think it will work out alright."
Maurice is confident as well. Putting Scheifele on his strong side in the right circle was a look the Jets were considering as a next move after a couple other tweaks were made in the past 10 games.
"Part of the conversation with Blake and Mark was because it's new, if Blake didn't get comfortable - he scored a goal there, so we thought he was pretty comfortable - but had he not been comfortable, we would have given Mark that opportunity," Maurice said. "It's a different body mechanic, and Mark does that mechanic easily well."
All the new lines and special teams units will get their first chance to work together on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres, as the Jets begin a three-game home stand.
Winnipeg is 3-1-1 in December, and want to keep it rolling against Buffalo - who is winless in their last seven.
"Any team can beat anybody at any given time," said Pionk, who is expected to return to the line-up against the Sabres. "We have to be ready for any team that comes into this building."
ICE CHIPS
The Jets will go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen against Buffalo, as a call-up from the Manitoba Moose isn't as simple as it sounds right now.
"We had a positive test with the Moose," said Maurice. "So because of that - and Neal Pionk was good to go - so because of that, we want to make sure that we get everybody tested a bunch of times throughout the Moose, so that we're not bringing in somebody that we're not sure of."