WINNIPEG - Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel said Monday. 

Arniel said the issue is not related to an incident in the first period of Winnipeg's 5-3 loss to visiting Buffalo on Sunday when the puck hit Vilardi's ear. 

The 25-year-old has a career-high 27 goals and 61 points in 71 games with the Jets this season. 

Vilardi said at the start of training camp his aim was to suit up for a full schedule after being limited to 47 contests in 2024-25.

"It's really disappointing," Arniel said. "He's just done such a fantastic job of his summer training to do some specific things so that he can hope to have an 82-game season. His training, his in-season training, looking after himself, doing all of the right things to get him here. 

"It was a little bit of a freak situation." 

Arniel said it's unclear if Vilardi will be ready to rejoin the Western Conference-leading Jets in time for the start of the playoffs next month. 

Winnipeg is also without defenceman Neal Pionk due to a lower-body injury.

Arniel said the first crack at Vilardi's spot on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor — along with his power-play duties on the No. 1 unit — will go to Alex Iafallo.

"Al's been there before," said the coach. "We'll start that way and kind of move forward. We'll go game-to-game."

The Jets host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in a showdown of teams with the NHL's best records.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2025.