Sharks get good news on Meier after ‘scary’ moment
The Sharks appear to have dodged a bullet as it relates to the health of Timo Meier.
Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Wednesday that tests on Meier did not show any structural damage to his knee that was injured the night before in the team’s 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames.
Although Meier did not take part in the Sharks’ optional practice in Edmonton on Wednesday, Boughner believed he’d likely be available to play against the Oilers on Thursday as San Jose (2827-8) finishes its two-game road trip through Alberta.
“It just was more of a nerve thing,” Boughner said. “He’s walking around today, not going on the ice, but I expect him to be available.”
Meier was injured with under seven minutes to go in the third period after a collision along the end boards with Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Meier skated away from the check but had trouble putting any weight on his left leg as he left the ice and later the Sharks’ bench.
“I didn’t like the way it looked, the way he hobbled off the ice and off the bench and left the game. That was a scary moment,” Boughner said. “Obviously he’s our offensive leader and for a team that struggles sometimes to find some offense, that would have been a major blow. So fingers crossed that he’ll be fine to play tomorrow.”
Meier scored his team-leading 27th goal of the season Tuesday, part of a dominant performance by the Sharks top line with Alexander Barabanov, who also scored, and Tomas Hertl. The three players combined for 11 shots on goal and per Natural Stat Trick, out-chanced the Flames 12-5 during 5-on-5 play.
Meier had been on Logan Couture’s line in recent games as the Sharks tried to create some offensive balance in their top-six forward group. But it didn’t take long for Meier to rediscover some chemistry with Hertl and Barabanov.