Jets’ Cole Koepke leaves game against Islanders with lower-body injury

A painful end to an afternoon affair for a young winger.

During the team’s matinee on Monday against the New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Koepke exited the game prematurely due to a lower-body injury.

While the team didn’t specify why Koepke left the contest, the ailment seemed to have stemmed from when Koepke blocked a shot late in the second period. He was able to get off the ice, but didn’t return to the game. The Jets hung on for a 5-2 win.

Koepke picked up his first point of the season early in the contest, assisting on Morgan Barron’s second goal of the year, which opened the scoring. Koepke had registered just 2:50 of ice time across five shifts, the fewest minutes of any Jet during Monday’s game. He also took a minor penalty before finishing with a +1 rating.

The Two Harbors, Minn. native has played in all three games for Winnipeg this season, going pointless in the Jets’ loss to the Dallas Stars last Thursday and the team’s victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Koepke has a plus/minus of -1 while averaging around eight minutes of ice time per game.

Koepke came to Winnipeg this past summer, signing a one-year contract with a $1 million cap hit. He was coming off his first full season in the NHL, spending the 2024-25 campaign with the Boston Bruins. In 73 games, he notched 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points. He finished the year with a +1 rating while averaging a career-high 11:15 of ice time per contest.

In 101 NHL contests, Koepke has scored 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points. He’s also scored 110 points in 201 AHL appearances, both regular-season and playoffs.

The Jets (2-1-0) are next scheduled to visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.