Brendan Lemieux's game is rough around the edges, there's no mystery about that.
But adapting that grinding style for success in the NHL may have seemed like a bit of a long shot when the 22-year-old Winnipeg Jets left-winger was suspended for two games after an illegal hit to the head of Florida's Vincent Trocheck on Nov. 2 in Helsinki. The resulting match penalty led to a power-play goal by Keith Yandle, the eventual game-winner in a 4-2 triumph by the Panthers.
Earlier in the game, a power play generated by Lemieux's high-sticking minor on Troy Brouwer resulted in a Mike Hoffman goal that tied the game 2-2.