The Winnipeg Jets won’t be forgetting about Wednesday’s heated matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins any time soon.
In addition to losing the game, they also lost a key member of their defence as Toby Enstrom has been listed as out indefinitely with a concussion thanks to a dangerous hit from Penguins forward Tom Sestito.
The incident resulted in a four-game suspension for Sestito and stirred up more bad blood between the clubs in what looks like a budding NHL rivalry.
When questioned by reporters about Sestito’s short stint on the ice—he was ejected after boarding Enstrom late in the first period after just three shifts—a few members of the Jets weren’t afraid to let their feelings known.
“I don’t really know what he was doing out there in the first place,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who called Sestito’s infraction “a pretty bad hit.”
“I guess they made their point and we lose a guy for it,” he said.
Wheeler played a contributing role in what became a pretty wild matchup on Wednesday, dropping the gloves with Evgeni Malkin in an attempt to even up the score a few weeks after the Penguins forward laid him out with a questionable hit.
“There’s no equitable way to sort this out because you can’t measure what we lose,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said, adding that there’s no timeline for Enstrom’s return. “The player suspended, they all have to be treated regardless of value to the game.”
Fresh off the loss Wednesday night, Maurice was quick to point out that Sestito, “wasn’t called up to dangle.”
Sestito has spent the majority of his time in the Penguins organization with the club’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but was called up ahead of Wednesday’s game.
“I don’t think anybody really appreciated the situation,” said Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba. “That’s something I think the league should think about, maybe. They’re not really losing much by him being suspended.”
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