SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 13: San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson (65) skates on the ice earlier than their recreation in opposition to the New York Rangers throughout warmups on the SAP Middle in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
SAN JOSE – Defenseman Erik Karlsson can be out of the Sharks’ lineup for Saturday’s recreation with the Tampa Bay Lightning and presumably past with an upper-body damage.
Sharks coach Bob Boughner stated Karlsson has been coping with the damage “for some time, and it’s simply not getting any higher.” Boughner stated for now, Karlsson is taken into account day-to-day however added that the Sharks will quickly get a clearer thought of how a lot time the two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman may need to overlook.
The Sharks’ subsequent recreation is Wednesday in opposition to the Washington Capitals, which begins a four-game highway journey in opposition to a few of the Japanese Convention’s prime groups.
Karlsson has 26 factors in 33 video games this season, already surpassing final season’s 22-point complete, and is third amongst all Sharks skaters with a median of simply over 23 minutes of ice time per recreation.
Karlsson, although, had been given a handful of upkeep days in latest weeks, staying off the ice for practices, because the Sharks teaching and coaching employees tried to maintain him as wholesome as attainable.
Karlsson performed 23:36 within the Sharks’ 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, as he had three pictures on web and a minus-2 ranking. He and protection associate Jaycob Megna had been on the ice for all three even-strength objectives in opposition to.
“You possibly can most likely inform final recreation that he wasn’t 100%,” Boughner stated. “He tried to muscle by way of it and he simply can’t go right now.”
Radim Simek will draw again into the Sharks’ lineup for Saturday’s recreation at SAP Middle after sitting out the final six video games, together with the final 4 as a wholesome scratch, and can be paired with Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Brent Burns and Mario Ferraro will type the Sharks’ prime pair and Ryan Merkley can be paired with Megna.
With out Karlsson, Burns will quarterback the Sharks’ prime power-play unit with Timo Meier, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, and Alexander Barabanov. Merkley can be on the second unit with Nick Bonino, Noah Gregor, Jonathan Dahlen, and Jasper Weatherby.
The Sharks are 3-for-9 with the person benefit over the past two video games.
“(Merkley’s) received to step it up just a little bit on the second unit and assist us on the market,” Boughner stated. “That is going to be extra ice time for guys. (Simek’s) again in (with Vlasic). (Megna and Merkley) are going to should play extra and provides us their finest.”
Karlsson missed six video games earlier this season after he examined optimistic for COVID-19, as he was certainly one of 4 Sharks defensemen within the NHL’s protocol. Karlsson additionally missed Sharks video games Jan. 6 and eight in opposition to Buffalo and Philadelphia, respectively, with an indirect pressure, though Boughner stated this newest illness is completely different than that.
The Sharks, impressively, are 5-2-1 with out Karlsson within the lineup this season.
“We’ve simply received to get by way of it, see what the docs say, and hopefully (Karlsson) can get higher,” Boughner stated.
Karlsson’s damage comes at a time when the Sharks are about to embark on essentially the most difficult portion of their schedule up to now.
In addition to two video games with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning, with the second on Feb. 1 in Florida, the Sharks additionally play in opposition to the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes as a part of a highway journey that begins Wednesday in D.C.
All 4 groups got here into Saturday within the prime seven within the NHL’s general standings, with the Lightning, at 59 factors, two factors again of the Panthers for first place general.
The Sharks completed the primary half of the season with a 21-18-2 report and entered Saturday in fourth place within the Pacific Division with 44 factors. By factors share, although, the Sharks (.537) had been fifth within the division and eleventh within the Western Convention as Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Dallas — different groups attempting to safe a playoff spot — had video games in hand.
GADJOVICH UPDATE: Winger Jonah Gadjovich will miss his sixth straight recreation Saturday with an upper-body damage. Boughner, although, is optimistic that Gadjovich will be capable of come off injured and be obtainable to play Wednesday. Gadjovich, harm Jan. 4 in Detroit, skated Saturday morning.
Rudolfs Balcers will even be eligible to rejoin the Sharks on Wednesday if he exits COVID protocol.