Jets HC Scott Arniel rips Blues HC Jim Montgomery's comment on Mark Scheifele's injury

Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel didn’t hold back when responding to his Blues courterpart Jim Montgomery’s comments about the injury to Jets star center Mark Scheifele.

Mark Scheifele exited Wednesday’s 5-3 Jets win after the first period with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. Although the exact moment of the injury isn’t known, Scheifele absorbed a heavy hit from Blues captain Brayden Schenn.

After the game, Montgomery said that the injury happened earlier on a hit from Radek Faksa and not from the collision with Schenn. Montgomery said that Scheifele played six more minutes after the Schenn hit before exiting.

That didn't sit well with Arniel, who blasted Montgomery's medical diagnosis:

"Well, I didn't know Month got his medical degree trying to say how our player got hurt. ... he's way off base. He should not make that comment.

"There's been some things going on in this series, and that was a repeat of what we've seen before .... a player leaving his feet and hitting a player in a very unprotected spot ... like hitting him in the sense almost blindsiding him."

Arniel voiced his frustration over the call, upset that it was only ruled a two-minute minor and that the officials didn’t even take another look at it.

Before exiting the game, Mark Scheifele had logged 8:05 of ice time. The Jets star has been a standout this postseason, posting six points — two goals and four assists — in five games.

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Jets react to Mark Scheifele's injury

Arniel said that the team will evaluate Scheifele overnight and again on Thursday before deciding if he will be available for Game 6.

After the game, Jets forward Mason Appleton mentioned that he didn’t watch the hit again but feels that Brayden Schenn sometimes gets away with higher hits.

"Whether he left his feet on that one or not, I can't say I saw the replay. But at the end of the day, I just hope (Scheifele's) all right," Appleton said.

Kyle Connor recognized how important Scheifele is to the team:

"That's a tough blow. He's our heart and soul. He's one of the best players on our team."

With a 3-2 series lead, Winnipeg heads into Friday's Game 6 in St. Louis. The Jets are looking to advance past the opening round for the first time since 2018.