Morrissey in Jets' Game 1 lineup after missing over a month with injury
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey is in the lineup for Game 1 against the St. Louis Blues after the missing the final 20 contests of the regular season with an upper-body injury, the team announced Wednesday.
Fellow blue-liner Dustin Byfuglien returned from a prolonged absence himself to suit up in the final five games of the regular season. Wednesday night will mark the first time since Feb. 14 that Morrissey and Byfuglien are in the lineup simultaneously.
"Your expectation is everyone plays the way they're playing," head coach Paul Maurice told NHL.com's Mitchell Clinton. "Those two guys, I don't know how you want to rank them on our team - Josh plays against the other team's best and Buff is a force. Having them back in the lineup makes you as good as you can be."
The Jets are projected to roll out the following defense pairings:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Josh Morrissey | Jacob Trouba |
| Ben Chiarot | Dustin Byfuglien |
| Dmitry Kulikov | Tyler Myers |
Morrissey's return is expected to bump midseason pickup Nathan Beaulieu out of the lineup.
"It's not easy, because his play didn't warrant it. Josh Morrissey's play warrants him being in the lineup and you have to make those kind of decisions," said Maurice. "I've liked the pairings and the consistency of the other two groupings. He's been really good, a good find for us for sure."
Morrissey was enjoying a career year before his injury, tallying 31 points in 59 games while averaging over 22 minutes per night. He and Trouba will likely be tasked with shutting down the Blues' vaunted top line of Brayden Schenn, Ryan O'Reilly, and Vladimir Tarasenko.