Sharks Cs Thornton, Couture day-to-day heading into playoffs
The San Jose Sharks are hobbling into the playoffs instead of rolling into them.
With their top two centres nursing injuries that have placed their status in doubt and a late-season stumble having cost them homeice advantage in the first round, the Sharks head into their series against Edmonton trying to find the form that helped them win the Western Conference last year.
The most pressing questions surround the health of Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. Thornton missed the final three games of the regular season with an injured left knee and Couture sat the final seven after taking a deflected puck to the face.
Both took part in practice Monday with Couture skating the entire time on a line with Joe Pavelski and Melker Karlsson and Thornton participating only for the beginning of practice, mostly with the extra forwards. Whether they can be ready for the opener Wednesday night remains unknown.
“They’re day to day, they’re on the ice, they’re skating,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “We’ll see tomorrow and we’ll keep taking those steps. There’s no plan here. There nothing I can tell you guys that you don’t see that’s right in front of you.”
Couture said it was good to get back on the ice as he tries to get back into condition after sitting for two weeks. He is still in pain from the injury that knocked out several teeth and has forced him to have wires on the bottom teeth to keep them in place.
The top three were bonded in root canal surgery.