Injury forces Sharks to shuffle blue line
Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic has an upper-body injury that forced him to miss Saturday's home game against the Nashville Predators.
Sharks coach David Quinn said Vlasic was injured during Friday's practice and is considered dayto-day as of now, adding, though, that the veteran could be out for up to a week.
Without Vlasic, Kyle Burroughs moved back into the lineup as the Sharks tried to earn their first victory in three games. The Sharks are coming off home losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets last Saturday and the Vegas
Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Burroughs, who led the Sharks with 142 hits going into Saturday's game, was a healthy scratch for both losses to start the homestand.
Quinn said he wants to see more consistency from Burroughs.
“There were great shifts and then there were shifts that aren't so great,” Quinn said. “He and I talked about the things he needs to do consistently to remain in the lineup.”
Vlasic had been playing some of his best hockey of
the season recently.
After not playing in six of seven games between Dec. 27 and Jan. 9, which included some time away from the team for personal reasons, Vlasic had dressed for 14 straight games before Saturday, averaging 19:18 of ice time per game while scoring five goals and adding one assist.
In his first 19 games this season, from mid-October to early January, Vlasic had one assist and averaged 13:46 in ice time per game.
Luke Kunin, who was questionable to play with an injury he's dealt with this week, did play Saturday.
Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen started for the Sharks against the Predators.
After Saturday, the Sharks finish their homestand with games against Timo Meier and the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday and the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
SMITH BACK Forward Givani Smith — out with a lower-body injury that cost him two months of playing time — returned to the lineup Saturday.