ESPN News Services
Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, coach Scott Arniel announced on Monday.
Arniel told reporters the injury is not related to Vilardi getting struck in the ear with the puck in the first period of Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
“It’s really disappointing,” Arniel said. “We were upset about it last night, when we found out. You know what, he’s done such a fantastic job in his summer training, and doing specific things so that he could have an 82-game season. He was looking after himself, and doing all the right things to get him here. … And what happened, it really was kind of a freak situation.”
Vilardi, 25, ranks third on the Jets with 61 points. He has 27 goals and has played in all 71 games this season for the Central Division leaders. He plays on Winnipeg’s top line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele.
Vilardi has 90 goals and 175 points in 270 career games with the Los Angeles Kings and Jets. Los Angeles drafted him with the 11th overall pick in 2017.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
