Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi out week-to-week as playoffs loom

Winnipeg Jets' Gabriel Vilardi (13) passes the puck to Mark Scheifele (55) behind the Buffalo Sabres net during second period NHL action in Winnipeg, Sunday March 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Greenslade

WINNIPEG — Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel said Monday.

Arniel said the issue is not related to an incident in the first period of Winnipeg's 5-3 loss to visiting Buffalo on Sunday when the puck hit Vilardi's ear.

The 25-year-old has a career-high 27 goals and 61 points in 71 games with the Jets this season.

Vilardi said at the start of training camp his aim was to suit up for a full schedule after being limited to 47 contests in 2024-25.

"It's really disappointing," Arniel said. "He's just done such a fantastic job of his summer training to do some specific things so that he can hope to have an 82-game season. His training, his in-season training, looking after himself, doing all of the right things to get him here.

"It was a little bit of a freak situation."

Arniel said it's unclear if Vilardi will be ready to rejoin the Western Conference-leading Jets in time for the start of the playoffs next month.

Winnipeg is also without defenceman Neal Pionk due to a lower-body injury.

Arniel said the first crack at Vilardi's spot on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor — along with his power-play duties on the No. 1 unit — will go to Alex Iafallo.

"Al's been there before," said the coach. "We'll start that way and kind of move forward. We'll go game-to-game."

The Jets host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in a showdown of teams with the NHL's best records.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2025.

The Canadian Press