Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine cleared to practice

After being injured by a brutal hit a couple weeks ago, rookie star Patrik Laine is making progress toward a return to the Winnipeg Jets lineup.

After losing four games in a row (one in overtime), the Winnipeg Jets beat the St. Louis Blues 5-3 on Saturday afternoon for their second win in a row. Back on Jan. 7 Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jack McCabe hit Jets winger Patrik Laine with a brutal, but fairly clean, open ice hit, which left the star rookie with a concussion that has sidelined him since.

Laine began skating again a few days ago, and returned to practice in a limited fashion on Friday. After Saturday’s win, Jets’ head coach Paul Maurice offered some good news regarding Laine’s progress.

Laine will return to full practice with the team on Sunday, with their next game Monday night at home against the Anaheim Ducks. In the seven games Laine has missed to this point, the Jets have stayed relatively afloat with a 3-3-1 record.

The Jets are three points out of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference right now, with a 22-23-4 record (48 points). Through the end of February, the Jets will play 14 of their next 15 games against teams either in a playoff spot currently or within five points of one right now. So Laine being cleared to practice without restriction is coming at a good time.

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It’s not exactly clear when Laine will return to game action, as expected, since his final concussion hurdle of ramping things up in a full practice and going through contact drills has not yet been cleared. Some better answers are likely to come after Sunday’s practice though, maybe as late as Monday morning, but Laine is clearly progressing toward being back in the Jets’ lineup soon.