The San Jose Sharks are limping to the end line. Actually.
Erik Karlsson and Radim Simek are each injured and have left the Sharks’ highway journey, coach Bob Boughner stated, leaving the workforce with six obtainable defensemen for its recreation with the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
The Sharks may also be with out winger Alexander Barabanov on Saturday, though he stays with the workforce. San Jose, which is on an 0-5-3 slide, finishes its five-game highway journey Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.
After Sunday, the Sharks (29-33-11), who've been formally eradicated from playoff competition, have seven regular-season video games remaining.
The Sharks recalled heart Jasper Weatherby from the Barracuda on Friday and will carry up one other participant for Sunday’s recreation towards the Wild, Boughner stated.
Boughner stated Karlsson had been coping with a “nagging” lower-body damage. Karlsson felt OK after final Saturday’s recreation in Vancouver, however was not totally wholesome for Tuesday’s recreation in Nashville and felt worse for Thursday’s recreation in Chicago, despite the fact that he had over 22 minutes of ice time towards the Blackhawks.
Karlsson additionally truly took the Sharks’ final shootout try in what turned a 5-4 loss on the United Heart.
“He performed in Nashville, clearly not one hundred pc, and he positively wasn’t one hundred pc in Chicago,” Boughner stated of Karlsson. “So we needed to make that call to kind of shut him down right here for the weekend, get him again dwelling. Simply verify in with the medical workforce again dwelling and simply be sure that.”
Karlsson has handled accidents in every of his 4 seasons in San Jose. On Jan. 24, he had surgical procedure to restore a muscle tear in his left forearm and missed 15 video games over six weeks, though he returned faster than was initially anticipated.
“At this level within the season, we don’t wish to put a man like (Karlsson) in a danger scenario the place there’s going to be something extra harmful,” Boughner stated. “So it’s extra precaution, nevertheless it’s a scenario the place he’s simply not one hundred pc.”
Simek, too, has handled accidents this season and in prior years.
Simek was injured in Thursday’s recreation and has already flown again to San Jose for additional analysis. Dressing as a seventh defenseman but additionally spending time on the wing, Simek’s final shift Thursday got here late within the first interval after he hit Chicago ahead Philipp Kurashev.
Barabanov, who's fifth on the Sharks with 37 factors in 65 video games, has an upper-body damage, Boughner stated.
Barabanov was harm with simply over 13 minutes to go within the first interval. After he absorbed a success from Blackhawks defenseman Riley Stillman, he obtained up and instantly skated towards the Sharks’ bench, though he later returned and completed with quarter-hour of ice time.
On protection, the Sharks have Brent Burns, Mario Ferraro, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Nicolas Meloche, Jaycob Megna, and Ryan Merkley obtainable.
The Sharks additionally solely have 12 wholesome forwards in the mean time, a gaggle that features rookies Weatherby, Scott Reedy, Sasha Chmelevski, Jonathan Dahlen, and Jeffrey Viel.
San Jose has had 17 rookies seem in a recreation this season, a quantity that leads the NHL. They’ve additionally had 10 gamers make their NHL debuts this season.
“Our lineup wasn’t clearly sturdy going into this journey,” Boughner stated. “It was a lineup the place we’re giving some guys alternatives, seeing us take a look at some youthful gamers, and that continues. It’s a possibility for extra guys.”