St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery and Winnipeg Jets bench boss Scott Arniel had some choice words for each other while discussing how Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele got injured in Game 5.
Arniel said it was the result of a heavy hit delivered by Brayden Schenn 6:10 into the first period, while Montgomery asserted it occurred when Radek Faksa stood Scheifele up with under three minutes left in the opening frame.
"Let's make it clear, 55 (Scheifele) got hurt from the Faksa hit," Montgomery told reporters postgame, including TSN. "He played six minutes after the Schenn hit. He didn't come back after he got rocked by Faksa."
Arniel clapped back at the Blues coach.
"I didn't know Monty got his medical degree. Trying to say how our player got hurt - he's way off base," Arniel said. "He should not make that comment."
Arniel added that the Jets have spoken to the NHL throughout the series about some hits from the Blues.
"There's some things that have been going on in this series and that was a repeat of what we've seen before: A player leaving his feet and hitting a player in a very unprotected spot ... almost blindsiding him," Arniel continued. "Not happy how the call was made. Two-minute minor. Not even looking at it is what I was upset about. It's something we have talked to the league about for five games."
Here's a look at the hit from Schenn:
And here's the hit from Faksa:
Monty on Scheifele injury: "Let's make it clear -- No. 55 (Scheifele) got hurt from the Faksa hit. He played six minutes after the Schenn hit. He didn't come back after he got rocked by Faksa."
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) May 1, 2025
Here's the Faksa hit ... pic.twitter.com/Hmu2deXz8p
Scheifele did not return after the hit from Faksa.
No supplemental discipline will result from the game, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The Jets were able to pull out a 5-3 victory without their top center for most of the game, taking a 3-2 series lead in the process.
Scheifele tallied a career-high 87 points during the regular season, trailing only Kyle Connor (97) on Winnipeg's roster. He's managed six points in five playoff games thus far.
The Jets could be in tough if Scheifele is forced to miss extended time. Second-line center was already considered a weakness for Winnipeg, though Vladislav Namestnikov did step up in a big way with a goal and an assist in Game 5. Winnipeg's other centers include captain Adam Lowry, Morgan Barron, Rasmus Kupari, and David Gustafsson. Wingers Cole Perfetti and Gabriel Vilardi have also played center in the past.
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
