Defenceman Enstrom’s injury put a damper on Winnipeg’s run

NASHVILLE It was bound to happen sooner or later, that’s just a hard fact of life for most teams in the NHL.

Injuries are a part of the game and the Winnipeg Jets had been blessed on the back end this season with mostly good health.

Sure, Dustin Byfuglien missed a pair of games with a lower-body issue and Dmitry Kulikov sat out two games with a knee problem, but other than that, the Jets had been fortunate to avoid any long-term setbacks. Until now.

On Sunday, the Jets placed blueliner Toby Enstrom on the injured reserve list and he’s expected to be out eight weeks with what the team is calling a lower-body injury.

“He’s been great all year, playing really well. Any time you lose a guy that eats up a lot of minutes like him it’s going to be tough,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters on Sunday. “It’ll be an opportunity for some guys to step up.”

Enstrom suffered the injury during the second period of Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils when he got tangled up in front of the net with forward Jesper Bratt. Enstrom fell awkwardly to the ice and was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was helped to the dressing room.

Before the period was over, Enstrom returned to action, taking a pair of shifts but he didn’t come out for the third. And now he’s out long-term and the Jets must band together to pick up the slack.

“Obviously injuries happen. We saw the tough end of that last year,” Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey told reporters. “You just have to adapt. You can’t replace Toby’s experience and what he brings. But at the same time other guys have to step up. “(Chiarot) or (Poolman) or whoever gets into that spot, they’re great players as well. Like I said, the other guys, we just have to step up and take over some of those minutes (Enstrom) plays and hope that Toby recovers soon and gets healthy as fast as possible.”

The Jets, who are riding a fourgame winning streak and are second in the Central Division with a record of 12-4-3, open a four-game road trip on Monday against the Nashville Predators.