Star Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers is set to return for Winnipeg’s potential series-clinching Game 6 in their series against the Blues tonight, the team announced.
Ehlers has been dealing with a foot injury that’s kept him out of the Jets’ first five playoff games and all but two contests since April 3. He’s been skating in a non-contact jersey in practice since Wednesday and shed the designation for the first time this morning, the team’s Mitchell Clinton relayed. Winnipeg has managed a 3-2 series lead without him, but as they travel to St. Louis for Game 6, the home team has won every game in the series thus far.
His return comes as first-line center Mark Scheifele exits the lineup due to an undisclosed injury he sustained in the first period of Game 5. The Jets were quick to rule out their top pivot yesterday, and he didn’t accompany the team on the trip to Missouri.
Ehlers’ return will be imperative as he looks to help Winnipeg’s offense sustain Scheifele’s loss. During the regular season, the pending unrestricted free agent fell just short of setting a career-high in points with 63 (24 goals, 39 assists) in 69 games.
Ehlers will skate in his usual second-line role with captain Adam Lowry elevated from third-line duties to center him and Cole Perfetti. Normal No. 2 center Vladislav Namestnikov moves up to replace Scheifele between Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi.
Lower in the lineup, this morning’s line rushes indicate depth center Dominic Toninato is set to make his first playoff appearance since 2021 between Alex Iafallo and Brandon Tanev. He’s coming in for Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who played the first five games of the series but will now serve as a healthy scratch despite contributing a goal, assist, and 19 hits in his limited minutes.