2 Months Winnipeg Jets Comment

Blake Wheeler blocked a shot in Saturday's loss to Washington and left the game for a little, but said he was fine during Monday's practice.

"I'm good. It turned out to be not as bad as I originally expected," he said. "I drank a lot of milk as a kid and I guess that helped." Coach Claude Noel originally called it a day-to-day situation and termed it as a "deep bone contusion," but it looks like Wheeler will be fine to play Tuesday night against Florida.

3 Months Winnipeg Jets Comment

Blake Wheeler suggested that Zach Redmond's season-ending injury has put everything in perspective for the Jets.

Redmond's thigh was sliced open by a skate blade. "That was an incident where everyone kind of realized how precious this thing we do is," Wheeler said. "Having a teammate that you're in the room with all the time, not being able to come and play anymore - it kind of shows you just how lucky we are to do what we do." Wheeler added that it makes him want to play hard for Redmond, who was released from the hospital last week. "It definitely had an effect on our room," Wheeler said. "We were able to kind of rally around that a little bit." Winnipeg has won four of their last five games.

3 Months Winnipeg Jets Comment

Blake Wheeler potted two goals for the Jets in a 4-3 win over Carolina on Thursday.

The lanky forward has been viewed as a bit of a disappointment this season, but with 13 points in 16 games he has pulled his weight. Andrew Ladd also enjoyed a strong game with a goal and two assists in the win while Evander Kane also found the back of the net.

3 Months Winnipeg Jets Comment

Blake Wheeler responded with a strong effort in Tuesday's win over Buffalo despite not registering a point.

"It's like I was talking about the last two days, just no thinking and just enjoying the game. That's the mindset from here on out," said Wheeler, who adopted a similar mindset last season just before his game started to take off following a slow start. "It might be hard to understand but it makes a huge difference when you're out there just reacting and letting the game come to you. Things just seem to happen. I can't really explain it in better words other than that." He had six shots and a plus-1 rating in the Jets' 2-1 win. Wheeler hasn't scored in six games and he has two assists over that span, but he may be on the verge of ending his recent cold streak.

3 Months Winnipeg Jets Comment

Blake Wheeler is hoping to see an attitude change in Winnipeg's locker room in an attempt to turn around the team's tough start.

"At some point you have to say, 'Screw it,' and forget all that outside influence and the stuff we feel from the inside as well," he said. "And just go out there and play the game. It's just one of those never-ending cycles until you consciously stop it." Wheeler should be commended for his upbeat approach, but now he'll try to right his ship in games where he has no goals and two assists in his last five outings. He also still has a disappointing minus-9 rating.

3 Months Winnipeg Jets Comment

Blake Wheeler has a team-worst minus-9 rating so far this season.

"To me, Blake Wheeler is a plus player," said coach Claude Noel. "That's the one indication that may be a little skewed right now. Sometimes it's wrong place, wrong time. But at the end of the day when I ask myself how Blake played... he was a plus player last year in an offensive role and we anticipate he's going to be that player again this year." He finished with a plus-3 rating last season. Wheeler has been playing fairly well this campaign despite his tough luck in the plus-minus department by producing four goals and five assists in 10 games.

3 Months Winnipeg Jets Comment

Blake Wheeler potted his fourth goal of the year on Tuesday night.

The Jets winger has two goals and three helpers in his past five games to give him nine points in nine contests overall.

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