Manitoba Moose

Jason Krog knows what his job is and blocking shots is nowhere near the top of the things-to-do list.

When the leading scorer on the Manitoba Moose roster was seen limping in the locker on Sunday afternoon after a 3-2 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs, there was some cause for concern that the foot injury might be more serious than originally thought.

But after the X-rays came back negative, Krog was able to make light of the situation on Wednesday morning.

“Somehow I got in the way of a shot,” quipped Krog, who has 29 goals and 83 points this season. “That’s Keaner’s (captain Mike Keane) job, but somehow I got in the way.”

All kidding aside, the Moose are happy their first-line centre won’t be on the shelf for an extended period of time.

Most of the Moose were in a jovial mood Tuesday as the club held an optional practice at the MTS Centre and it’s easy to understand why.

With five games left in the regular season, the Moose need one victory or a regulation loss by the Grand Rapids Griffins to clinch top spot in the North Division.

The Moose welcome the Toronto Marlies to town for a pair of games this Friday and Saturday to close out the home portion of the schedule.

It could also be a first-round playoff preview, as the Marlies and Syracuse Crunch continue to battle for fourth place in the North.

“We’d certainly like to (clinch) Friday,” said Arniel. “We still don’t know if Toronto is going to be our opponent in the first round, so we want to make sure we finish these last two games at home off on a good note and that they don’t gain any confidence in here.

“They’ve beaten us the last three times in their building, so we want to make sure we stay on the winnings side in our building against them and keep that edge.”

Also on the injury front, defenceman Maxime Fortunus (wrist) and right-winger Ray Sawada (shoulder) could be available for the weekend games.

Forward Derek Nesbitt (“lower-body”) could resume skating in the next day or two but won’t be ready for game action anytime soon.

“He’s definitely not on the radar yet,” said Arniel.

The Moose also announced they have signed defencemen Yann Sauve and Taylor Ellington to pro tryout offers.

Sauve, a second round choice (41st overall) of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, had five goals and 30 points in 61 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, while Ellington, a second round choice of the Canucks (33rd overall in 2007), had six goals and 32 points in 69 games with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.

Sauve was on the ice Tuesday, while Ellington will join him and the rest of the Moose for a full practice on Wednesday.

Arniel isn’t sure when the two newcomers will get an opportunity to make their professional debut.

“We’re going to get a feel for them and watch them in our surroundings,” said Arniel. “You never know, we’ll take it day-to-day. I’m not making any guarantees to these young guys.

“We want to make sure our guys that have been here all year long up and running as well.”