Jets’ Brenden Dillon to miss Game 4 with hand injury
Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness announced on Sunday morning that defenseman Brenden Dillon will miss Game 4 due to a hand injury.
No surprise here given the injury he suffered, but #NHLJets Brenden Dillon is OUT for today’s game here in Denver. Coach Rick Bowness says he won’t rule him out for Game 5 Tuesday.
Logan Stanley comes in.
Also, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby in for David Gustafson up front.
Dillon suffered the injury at the end of Game 3 of their first round series against the Colorado Avalanche during a scrum after the final whistle. Amidst the chaos, a skate blade from another player made contact with the 33-year-old’s hand and cut it, and he promptly left to the dressing room covering his bleeding hand to get it stitched up.
According to Bowness, Dillon is considered day-to-day, so while he will be missing Game 4, he’s not ruled out for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Dillon had another excellent season with the Jets this season, as he eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time in his career with 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 77 games played. He’s also been surprisingly productive in the playoffs, with three assists in the three games, including two in their Game 1 win.
Dillon will be replaced by Logan Stanley in the lineup on Sunday. Stanley played the first two games of the playoffs for the Jets and was held pointless in both, but then was a healthy scratch for Game 3. He also had 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points in 25 games this year.
Dillon was an undrafted free agent signing by the Dallas Stars in 2011 after an excellent final season with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL. He spent parts of three seasons in the AHL with the Texas Stars, making his NHL debut in the 2011-12 season for one game before becoming a consistent NHLer in the 2012-13 season.
After two more seasons with the Stars, Dillon was dealt to the San Jose Sharks early in the 2014-15 season, and then spent six seasons in San Jose before he was traded again at the 2020 trade deadline to the Washington Capitals. After parts of two seasons there, the Capitals dealt him to the Winnipeg Jets in the 2021 offseason, where Dillon has spent the last three seasons.
Dillon is currently in the final year of a four-year contract with a $3.9 million cap hit, and will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.
The Jets currently find themselves down 2-1 in their first round series against the Avalanche, and will look to get back on even-footing when they play Game 4 on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EST.