San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
New injury shelves Sharks’ Karlsson
A daunting schedule got more challenging after the Sharks learned of injured defenseman Erik Karlsson’s uncertain status.
Karlsson missed a visit to SAP Center by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, which began a stretch of five tough games for the Sharks against Eastern Conference playoff contenders before the NHL All-Star break.
Karlsson succumbed to an upper-body injury that has lingered for several games. It is not related to an oblique strain that sidelined the two-time Norris Trophy winner for consecutive games on Jan. 6-8. Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Karlsson will mull options after further medical examination.
“We’ve just got to get through it, see what the doctors say and hopefully he can get better,” Boughner said.
With eight goals and 26 points in 33 games, Karlsson was enjoying a consistently productive season after his first three in San Jose have been interrupted with starts and stops associated with injury. Karlsson, 31, recently reached 500 career assists, doing so in 820 games.
Rookie Ryan Merkley, playing his 14th career game, was asked Saturday to help pick up the responsibilities of Karlsson, who logs the third-most average ice time for San Jose (23:06). Paired with Jaycob Megna, Merkley was to quarterback the team’s second power-play unit.
It’s possible that Karlsson, who missed six games earlier while in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols, could miss the team’s upcoming East Coast trip that already looks like a doozy.
“Playing a little scared is good, scared to the point you’ve
Saturday’s Sharks-Lightning game ended too late for this edition. For details, see sfchronicle.com/sports
got to bring your best to beat teams like this or you can get embarrassed,” Boughner said.
San Jose on Wednesday visits a Washington team that shut out the host Sharks 4-0 on Nov. 20. After two idle nights, they finish with three games in four nights — at Florida and Carolina on consecutive days, and a rematch with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning on Feb. 1.
“This is maybe one of our hardest stretches of the year,” Boughner said, “and hopefully it will bring out the best in us.”
San Jose has fared well when faced with adversity this season, and the Sharks are 5-2-1 in games Karlsson missed before Saturday. They went 3-2-1 with as many as six regulars and their coach in COVID-19 protocols from Oct. 30-Nov. 11. And they bounced back after allowing 14 goals in consecutive losses at Pittsburgh and Detroit early this month to win two 3-2 verdicts on the road.
“We’ve competed hard, and this team has responded,” Boughner said. “When teams play us they know they’re in for a hard-fought game, a detailed game and a physical game.”
On pace for 88 points after a 21-18-2 showing in its first 41 games through Friday, San Jose knows it needs more in the second half to reach at least 95 points — a plateau that often separates playoff qualifiers from those who miss.
“It’s a hard game when you play the Sharks right now, and that’s really what we wanted (to) create here,” Boughner said. “That identity. Once we do that, we’re in every game and we have a chance to win. I have to give credit to the guys. We’re in a good spot. We control our own fate.”