Lambert gets the call with Ehlers on injured reserve

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This article was published 03/12/2024 (291 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nikolaj Ehlers has moved past the day-to-day stage, but by all accounts, the Winnipeg Jets high-scoring winger isn’t going to be out long term.

The Danish forward suffered a lower-body injury in the second period of Friday’s game with the Vegas Golden Knights after a collision with Pavel Dorofeyev where he appeared to injure his left leg.

Ehlers was placed on injured reserve Tuesday morning, retroactive to Nov. 29, though he’s likely to be out until at least the Jets return from the upcoming two-game road swing with games against the Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks — though the timeline is fluid.

“A little bit worse than at first (suspected), but we’ll just see,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said before his team took on the St. Louis Blues. “He’ll probably be out a week to 10 days. But hopefully less than that. We’ll just kind of monitor him every day.”

Ehlers, who is a pending unrestricted free agent on July 1, is off to one of the strongest starts of his career and went into Tuesday’s action with nine goals and 25 points in 24 games, which leaves him third in team scoring.

He’s provided a boost to the Jets’ top power-play unit, chipping in three goals and eight points with a man-advantage that has been the best in the NHL until recently, when it slipped to second behind the New Jersey Devils.

The loss of Ehlers opened the door for the Jets to recall forward Brad Lambert from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and he jumped into the lineup immediately, starting the game on a line with Gabe Vilardi and Cole Perfetti.

“Obviously it’s nice to have one game under your belt,” said Lambert, who had an assist and two shots on goal in his NHL debut in just under 14 minutes of ice time last April against the Vancouver Canucks. “When I got the call, I was just excited as I was coming into my first game last year. Super pumped and excited.”

Lambert had a steady training camp, but didn’t do enough to steal a job on the NHL roster, but he went down to the minors and got off to a steady start — recording three goals and 11 points in 16 games with the Moose.

“Just learning every day, getting better every day,” said Lambert, who turns 21 on Dec. 19. “I think just being around the guys has helped a lot, just seeing how they do things. You can take a lot from that. Just maturing and developing every day. Trying to get better on and off the ice.”

No matter how long Ehlers is sidelined, this is a massive opportunity for Lambert to take the next step in his development.

“Really skilled guy,” said Vilardi, noting he skated with Lambert during his NHL debut in Game 82 last season against the Vancouver Canucks. “Really fast. He thinks the game at an elite level, and hopefully we can get some chemistry going.”

Lambert was brought into the lineup at his natural position of centre, a spot he should be able to best utilize his speed and explosiveness.

“It’s awesome, that’s where I’ve been playing all year. So that’s where I’m comfortable,” said Lambert, who was chosen 30th overall by the Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft. “Obviously this team has been great on the defensive side. Make sure I’m responsible back in my own end, and just with the puck try to play my game, chip in and try to create.”

The Moose are off to a 6-11 start this season, though Lambert continues to make strides in his overall game.

“We’re still trying to find that consistency. It’s been kind of an up and down start. I’ve had some good games, some not so good games,” said Lambert. “I feel strong, I feel fast, I’m feeling good in the corners. The puck battles, obviously second year pro here in North America, so a little more comfortable.”

Arniel was expecting Lambert to feel some nerves in his second NHL game, though he’s noticed ample growth in the Finnish forward’s game since his first training camp in the fall of 2022.

“Get him in and get him a chance to see what he can do,” said Arniel. “It’s (about) him coming up and doing what he needs to do best. He’s a skater, he’s got great offensive instincts. There’s stuff we’ll go over about how we play without the puck, but this is the opportunity.

“He got a sniff last year at the end of the year. This is an opportunity for him again to go out and show the organization, his teammates, that he can help us.”

Speaking of injuries, Arniel doesn’t have an update on the timeline for defenceman Dylan Samberg, who missed his fourth consecutive game on Tuesday with a broken foot.

“The swelling’s gone down quite a bit. But he has a broken bone. No idea (on the timeline), that just has to heal,” said Arniel. “Usually on a broken bone you’ll get to four weeks and then we’ll kind of take it from there.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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