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Dylan Samberg out against Islanders due to personal reasons

Photo credit: © Terrence Lee-Imagn Images
By Evan Waldner
Mar 4, 2025, 14:50 ESTUpdated: Mar 5, 2025, 19:22 EST
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The Winnipeg Jets will be without Dylan Samberg tonight against the New York Islanders while the defenceman deals with a personal matter, according to head coach Scott Arniel.
The 26-year-old defender plans to meet the team in Philadelphia on Wednesday and play against the Flyers on Thursday.
Samberg has appeared in 40 games for the Jets this season, scoring four goals and 13 points while playing 21:14 per night.
The Saginaw, Mich. native has spent his entire four-year career with Winnipeg since the team selected him with the 43rd overall pick in 2017. He has recorded seven goals and 37 assists for 44 points in 196 career games.
Samberg’s plus-23 rating this season is second only to fellow defenceman Dylan DeMelo’s plus-25. He’s also in Winnipeg’s top-four when it comes to ice time, averaging more than 21 minutes per game.
DeMelo says everybody will have to do a little extra to fill the 26-year-old’s shoes.
“Sammy’s been a huge part of this team this year,” DeMelo told reporters on Long Island. “He’s made great strides in all facets of the game. He’s been amazing for us, a rock back there. So steady. But we’ve got guys that can fill his spot.”
With Samberg out, here are what the lines are projected to look like tonight:
Connor – Scheifele – Vilardi
Ehlers – Namestnikov – Perfetti
Niederreiter – Lowry – Appleton
Barron – Kupari – Iafallo
Morrissey – DeMelo
Stanley – Pionk
Fleury – Miller
Hellebuyck
Comrie
It certainly will be a test for the Jets to be without one of their top defenders, but they’ve been able to manage without him before. So they should be able to do it for one game, especially against a lower level Islanders team.
Puck drop tonight is at 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game is available to watch on TSN3.
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