Center has 10 points in 10 playoff games
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DALLAS — Mark Scheifele is playing for the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday after the death of his father, Brad.
The Jets face elimination against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round at American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC). They defeated the St. Louis Blues in seven games in the first round.
“Mark will be playing tonight,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “As he said, that’d be [the] wishes of his dad. He would want him to play, and I know he’s been rooting us on here. I know that he’s been pushing hard. We got to see him earlier in the St. Louis series, and he’s with us. Mark really wants to play for him tonight.”
Scheifele received the news Saturday morning. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said it was “certainly unexpected,” and Arniel went back to the team hotel to be with Scheifele while the Jets held their morning skate.
“We’ve got a game to play, and we’re going to go out and play hard for Mark,” Arniel said. “That’s pretty much that chatter that’s happening. We want to make sure we don’t let him down. …
“Mark doesn’t want those guys hang their heads or be down. He wants to win. That’s what they’re all talking about. We want to get a win for Mr. Scheifele, get a chance to get ourselves back home for a Game 7.”
Jets captain Adam Lowry said he had gotten to know Scheifele’s father over the years. He said he had an infectious laugh and unmatched energy. He was a genuinely happy person with a joy and excitement for life.
“It’s a terrible loss,” Lowry said. “It’s tough to put into words how gutted we all feel for Mark and his family.”
Lowry said he found out on the way to the morning skate and that Arniel addressed the team.
“It’s not an easy to thing to navigate, especially with the magnitude of the day in terms of our playoff lives,” Lowry said. “But it’s important that we’re there for him in just whatever capacity he needs. I think he needs to know that everyone in that room is there to support him, there to be whatever he needs us to be.
“It’s one of those things that you don’t wish upon anyone and just really hope that he’s got the family strength, the great support system around him, that helps ease this pain, because that’s such a big loss.”
Scheifele has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 10 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including four points (two goals, two assists) in five games in this series. The 32-year-old center had 87 points (39 goals, 48 assists) in 82 games in the regular season.
“As an organization, we’re doing everything we can to support him and give his family our most sincere condolences,” Cheveldayoff said. “… We’re a family, and we’re going to do everything we can to support our family.”
