WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets will be without their leading scorer for the rest of the season
The Winnipeg Jets confirmed after their Thursday morning skate that a compression fractured vertebrae will keep him off-ice.
Bryan Little has been shut down due to a compression fractured vertebrae in his back. Little suffered the injury last Thursday in the second period of the Jets 6-5 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The forward was off balanced and leaning over when he was hit by Lightning defenceman Anton Stralman.
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“It was a significant amount of force that caused the compression fracture,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice told Jets TV. “We think it’s an eight week injury. Coming off that injury, we would expect because it’s stable, that once he heals through that process, he would be ready to go.”
The hit forced Little out of the game. He underwent x-rays and has been listed as day-to-day for the last week. A penalty was not called on the play. Stralman also wasn’t fined or suspended by the league for the check.
“It’s a problem,” said Maurice. “I’m going to move someone to centre ice who hasn’t played centre all year. That position drives so much of what you do. We’re going to miss him greatly.”
Little leads the Jets with 17 goals in 57 games. He’s racked up a total of 42 points this season.
Winnipeg has called up Matt Halsichuk to help fill the void left by Little’s injury.
The Jets have also placed defenceman Mark Stuart on injured reserve retroactive to February 13 with an upper-body injury.
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