Winnipeg Jets defenceman Tobias Enstrom left the ice after being boarded by Tom Sestito, in Wendesday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Enstrom left the game only about 13 minutes into the first period, and Sestito also received a game misconduct for the hit. Pittsburgh went on to win 7-4.
Sestito had a hearing Thursday evening about the hit, and was suspended for four games. He also got into a fight earlier in the night, tallying 20 penalty minutes in only one minute of ice time. When asked about Sestito being called up, Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said, “well he wasn’t called up to dangle.” This implies that Sestito was in fact called up to raise havoc in the game. The last time the Penguins and Jets met, a controversial hit by Evgeni Malkin went unpunished by the league.
Tobias Enstrom Out Indefinitely After hit from Tom Sestito
Full details of Enstrom’s injury, and expected recovery time have not been revealed. The team has said that he is out indefinitely with a concussion, but is also being examined for facial fractures. When asked about the situation, Maurice simply said that Winnipeg will be losing a good defenseman for a while. Not even a month ago, Enstrom was out for a couple weeks after receiving surgery on a lower body injury.
"He's got a concussion. He's out indefinitely." Maurice's update on Enstrom.
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) March 10, 2017
Despite having to recover from surgery, Enstrom has only missed eight games this season, out of 68. In the 60 games he’s played, he’s only recorded 14 points. He’s received top line minutes, alongside Dustin Byfuglien, which is why his point numbers are somewhat disapointing. Still, he’s been a force for the Jets defence, and the team will miss him the rest of the season.
Enstrom’s injury is very untimely for the Jets. They currently sit only seven points back from a wild card spot in the Western Conference. Likely to fill Enstrom’s spot will be Mark Stuart, who has only recorded a single point in 28 games this season. This leaves a big hole in the Jets lineup, that Stuart definitely doesn’t have the shoes to fill. It will be an interesting road to the end of the season for the Jets now, especially if Enstrom is out for the remainder of the year.
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