April 29, 2025, 03:39 PM ET
Away from the best season of his career, Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Viraldi will return from a month’s absence in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs against the St. Louis Blues, who will be visiting Wednesday.
Vilardi, 25, who suffered a upper body injury in the March 23 game against the Buffalo Sabres, practiced on Tuesday in the top line and first power play unit with Kyle Connor and Mark Seafele. He practiced in his regular jersey for four days in a row.
Winnipeg opened the Best Western Conference First Round Series at Home, but lost two games and set up the pivotal Game 5.
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In his second season with the Jets following a trade from the Los Angeles Kings in June 2023, Vilardi set a career-high with goals (27), assists (34), and points (61) in 71 games before injury. He was a key cog in the regular season when Winnipeg won the presidential trophy for the club that earned the most points in the NHL.
In 270 games over six seasons between the Kings and Jets, Vilardi has put together 175 points (90 goals, 85 assists) since his debut in the 2019-20 season. In 12 playoff games, there are two goals and eight points.
Los Angeles selected Vilardi in their 11th overall pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft.
This report used information from field-level media.
