With Game 3 between the Colorado Avalance and the
nothing but decided when the final horn sounded–the Avs won 6-2–there was no reason for those teams to get into extracurricular affairs.
They took the alternative route, however, and a brawl emerged out of nowhere in front of Colorado’s goal.
That led to a bunch of players falling to the ice. One of them, Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon, suffered a deep cut on his hand after getting it stepped on by a sharp skate that gashed it open.
Dillon was bleeding profusely (warning: graphic content) while entangled with Avalanche forward Brandon Duhaime, and once they separated the Jets defenseman rushed to the locker room to get treatment.
Jets head coach Rick Bowness couldn’t offer an update on Dillon’s injury and his status after the game, but he said on Saturday that Dillon is day-to-day following the work of the Jets doctors.
“It’s day to day,” Bowness told reporters after practice on April 27. “We know the gash was there but our doctors did a fantastic job of stitching him up.
“There’s no damage and that’s the most important thing. We’ll keep him as day-to-day.”
Brenden Dillon Only Suffered Superficial Damage
According to coach Bowness, “There is no damage” in Dillon’s hand. It’s a stretch to say that after watching the clip of Dillon’s cut, but Bowness was most probably referencing the avoidance of internal or additional damage to the hand’s tendons or nerves.
Dillon, however, had his hand “stitched up” as confirmed by Bowness on Saturday.
“All those bodies in there, it’s tough to figure [what happened] out,” Bowness said. “Obviously a skate blade got him in there somewhere.”
By listing Dillon’s injury as “day-to-day,” the Jets are most probably playing a little bit of a mind game related to keeping their cards close to their chest in a high-stakes postseason matchup more than truly believing he will be able to return as soon as Game 4 on Sunday, April 28.
A freshly stitched wound the like of Dillon’s takes time to heal and by getting cut on the hand it’d be hard for Dillon to even play through pain so quickly. Just handling his stick would put Dillon through the torture chamber on a play-by-play basis, let alone envision him playing physical hockey.
The hope is for the Jets to advance past the first-round matchup against Colorado, one they trail 1-2 through Game 3, and then try to bring him back later in the playoffs.
What Will the Jets Do Without Brenden Dillon?
The absence of Dillons will hurt the Jets’ chances at defeating their first-round opponent without much question to it.
Dillon finished the regular season averaging 18:44 minutes per game, the fourth-most among Jets defensemen, and playing 77 games. He’s an important member of Winnipeg’s defense and logs minutes in the second pair along with Neal Pionk.
“He’s often the heartbeat of the team,” Pionk told reporters after practice on April 27. “He’s throwing his body around, stirring the pot out there and blocking a lot of shots and doing the little things that might not end up on the scoresheet.”
With Dillon expected to miss at least a few games, the Jets will probably move Dylan Samberg one pair up, from the third to the second one, lining him up on the left of Pionk on defense.
That would leave a hole open on the left side of the third pairing with Nate Schmidt on the right side but nobody on the left once Samberg gets moved.
The only other left-shot defenseman on the Jets roster is Logan Stanley, who should be expected to slide into the even-strength lineup with Dillon out and Samberg transitioning to the second pair.
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