Vilardi back skating with Jets

WINNIPEG – A much easier day on the ice on Wednesday for the Winnipeg Jets as the team split the forwards and defence into separate groups at hockey for all centre to work on skills for 30-minute sessions.

The team was still buzzing following their 6-3 win over a skilled New Jersey Devils team at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg went with 11 forwards and seven defencemen and with eight minutes left in the first, lost Rasmus Kupari to an upper body injury. So, the Jets spent most of the evening with 10 forwards and still generated a ton of offence.

“Honestly, it gets a little easier when you go from 11 to 10 cause now it’s almost like a three-line rotation right? You're not getting double shift work, now you’re a little tired for your regular ones. Obviously super unfortunate with Rasmus going down, it's tough to game plan when you’re going a forward short to losing one so early in the game,” said Adam Lowry.

“To be able to score, kind of score in a bunch of different ways, the power play is really clicking now. Yeah, super rewarding to get that win too. Obviously, Jersey is missing a couple key pieces, a couple of the best players in the league, it's important that you take advantage of that when you're playing teams that are shorthanded.”

While the good feelings remain from a big win, interim head coach Scott Arniel did not have positive news with regards to Kupari.

"He's not good here. Probably looking at 4-6, four, five, seven weeks here,” said Arniel.

“He'll get looked at a little bit more here but it's his shoulder."

The Jets were in discussions over which forward would be recalled from the Manitoba Moose since they are now one short with the loss of the Finnish forward. The Moose leave tomorrow for a six-game road trip that begins in Belleville on Friday.

Gabriel Vilardi took part of today’s skills session in a non-contact jersey as he recovers from a sprained MCL. While the 24-year-old isn’t quite ready for contact, it was still a welcome site to have him with the team.

“I feel like it’s a little bit of a boost to get him back and to know that he’s getting closer. Just to see him skating, you know get that energy back. I think when the trade happened, we’re so excited for the potential and the opportunity to incorporate him into the lineup,” said Lowry.

“Unfortunately, he went down so early that we haven’t even really seen what he can do for this team. But he’s been working extremely hard and we’re really excited to hopefully welcome him back fairly soon.”

Arniel stressed that Vilardi is still a bit away from contact.

"This was just because it was a skills day. Him getting out there, his first real day with the guys. Excited about being out there. We go into practice now there's a possibility of a mistake going into somebody, turning the wrong way at the wrong time. So, we're just not quite there yet,” said Arniel.

“If you noticed on some of those drills, he was just standing on the outside of all of that. He will have to go in a non-contact jersey. But if they also, if the thought that is something happens where he puts himself into a situation that he's not going to re-hurt himself."

While the 11 and seven lineup worked to the Jets favour on Tuesday, with back-to-back games coming up on the weekend, don’t expect to see that lineup Friday with Buffalo in town.

“I don’t have a really good taste in my mouth right now after what happened (to Kupari) because it’s the first time I did it and I lose a forward. But I know our forwards were excited about when you’ve got three lines and you’re jumping over the boards every third shift. I like doing it. I’ve been on lots of teams that have done that in the past. As long as your top people are playing,” said Arniel.

“(Morrissey) got his 24 minutes, (Dylan) DeMelo and (Brenden) Dillon and (Neal) Pionk, those guys are getting their minutes and you’ve got to make sure about that. But it’s not an all-the-time thing. You couldn’t do it on Friday night, with a Saturday game because (with) your forwards, somebody is probably getting worn down a little bit too much. I’ll probably look back to going to a regular (12 forwards, six defencemen) roster then.”