Waterloo Region Record

Jets star centre Scheifele showing a nose for the net

Winnipeg sniper leads NHL playoff scoring with eight goals in 7 games

- JUDY OWEN

WINNIPEG — Jacob Trouba has watched Mark Scheifele’s progressio­n to becoming a star forward more closely than others.

The Winnipeg Jets teammates began their full-time NHL careers in 2013-14, when Trouba was a budding defenceman and Scheifele a big, skilled centre who thrived on studying the intricacie­s of the game.

That’s why Trouba isn’t surprised Scheifele has been on fire in the playoffs, posting eight goals to top that category heading into Monday’s games. Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin each had seven.

“I think everybody in that room knows what (Scheifele is) capable of,” Trouba said Monday after some Jets spoke to the media after their 5-4 double-overtime Game 2 loss to the Predators in Nashville on Sunday night.

“I don’t think it’s any surprise to anyone. He’s shown that over the past how many years that that’s how he can play. He’s a big-time player and he’s got a lot of skill.”

The Jets flew into Winnipeg at 2 a.m. Monday after splitting the first two games of their secondroun­d series with the Predators in Nashville. The best-of-seven set between the league’s top two clubs continues here Tuesday and Thursday, where Winnipeg has won 12 straight at home.

Scheifele scored a pair of goals in each of the games at Nashville. The Kitchener native also added an assist Sunday. Combined with his points in Winnipeg’s fivegame, first-round series victory over Minnesota, the 25-year-old has 10 points in seven games.

His post-season spark follows up a regular season that included two different upper-body injuries, the first one taking him out of commission for almost six weeks. Scheifele missed a total 22 games, but still racked up 60 points in 60 games.

“He’s very into recovery and that kind of stuff, so I don’t think I’m surprised by how he’s done and how well he’s recovered,” Trouba said. “It’s a testament. I think everybody knows how much he loves hockey and that’s part of what makes him up.”

Scheifele anchors a line with rookie left-winger Kyle Connor and captain Blake Wheeler.

“It seems like the bigger the stage, the more he elevates his game,” Connor said of Scheifele, who has seven goals his past four games. “He really comes to play.”

Scheifele was frank in his analysis following Sunday’s game, which ended when Predators’ Kevin Fiala scored at 5:37 of the second extra period.

“We had our chances, they had their chances. That’s the way it happens in overtime,” Scheifele said postgame. “It’s definitely a sucky way to be on the bad side of it, but it’s over.”

He said he’s learning things in his second career playoff series. In the 2015 post-season, the Jets were swept in their first-round series against Anaheim. Scheifele had one assist.

“You’ve got to go to the dirty areas,” he said. “(Wheeler) made an unbelievab­le pass on that tying (goal). It’s fun playing with those guys. It’s too bad we didn’t get the win.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Scheifele views himself as a playmaker, but he’s got the gift for scoring goals.

“I think if Mark got selfish in his game, and I’m not encouragin­g him to do it. But I think he’s a 30- to 50-goal scorer,” Maurice said. “He’s got that kind of shot.

“We totally leave him alone in terms of his decisions with what he does on the offensive side of the puck, but he seems to have shifted now in some of the situations to be a shooter, too.”

 ?? MARK HUMPHREY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Kitchener native Mark Scheifele leads the Winnipeg post season in scoring with 10 points in seven games.
MARK HUMPHREY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kitchener native Mark Scheifele leads the Winnipeg post season in scoring with 10 points in seven games.

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