DeBoer explains Karlsson situation
Team is letting him recover slowly from a groin muscle injury
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA >> Sharks coach Pete DeBoer provided additional information about the nature of Erik Karlsson’s injury on Monday, putting the conspiracy theories to bed.
With Karlsson missing his eighth consecutive game when the Sharks took on the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night, speculation that the two-time Norris Trophy winner’s continued absence is a sign of a more serious issue ran rampant on social media.
Has there been a fall out between Karlsson and the team that acquired him in a trade on the eve of training camp? Is Karlsson experiencing turmoil in his private life? Is the injury more serious than initially reported?
After all, Karlsson did participate in All-Star Weekend more than two weeks ago. Shouldn’t he be healthy enough to play in games that count?
It turns out that the reason Karlsson is going to be sidelined for at least four weeks with a “day-to-day” injury that was initially labeled as “not serious” is the one that makes the most sense. According to DeBoer,
Karlsson is recovering from a muscle injury, quite possibly a groin issue, which explains the uncertainty surrounding the timing of his return.
The Sharks would prefer to use caution now and ensure that Karlsson is fully healthy down the stretch instead of rushing him back and risking the possibility that the injury could continue to nag him as the games get more important. In addition, the Sharks are riding a five-game winning streak, so Karlsson’s return to the lineup isn’t exactly a pressing need.
“Any time you have a muscle injury, there’s always the fear of re-aggravating it if it doesn’t heal 100 percent,” DeBoer said Monday before the game. “That’s where he’s at.”
Regardless, DeBoer labeled Karlsson as “really close,” suggesting there’s a strong chance that he suits up against the Washington Capitals at SAP Center on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the news surrounding the Sharks’ other Karlsson — Melker Karlsson — is encouraging. Melker Karlsson skated at the Sharks’ morning practice in Vancouver on Monday after leaving Saturday’s win over the Edmonton Oilers in the first period with an apparent shoulder injury. The Sharks’ forward suffered the injury after he fell into the boards awkwardly following a hit from Oilers defenseman Kevin Gravel.
“We’ll see how he feels after the skate here today, but I think he’s a go,” DeBoer said.
Looking for new conspiracies to get worked up about? Dylan Gambrell missed the Sharks morning skate, raising questions about whether a trade involving the prospect could be brewing. According to DeBoer, Gambrell got hit by a flu bug in Vancouver on Sunday.
• Joe Thornton isn’t the type of guy who turns his house into a hockey shrine with all the memorabilia he’s collected over the years.
At his home in San Jose, Thornton has hung up just three pictures of players he’s been photographed with over the course of his 21-year career: Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and the player he tied for ninth place on the NHL’s all-time assists list on Saturday.
Suffice it to say, pulling even with Gordie Howe by recording his 1,049th career assist has left Thornton humbled.
“It’s a name I shouldn’t be up there with,” Thornton said. “I have a nice picture with him at the house of the time he came to Boston for a charity game. I only have three pictures like that and he’s one of them.”
Monday, Thornton got assist No. 1,050, to pass Howe
to move into 9th place alone on all-time assists list.
With the point he tied Teemu Selanne for 15th an the all-time scoring list with 1,457.
He needs just 13 more assists to tie his boyhood hero, Steve Yzerman, for eighth place on the helpers list.
Though Thornton reaches a new milestone seemingly every night these days, he acknowledged that seeing his name next to Howe’s is extra special. Thornton, of course, rooted for Howe’s Detroit Red Wings growing up in St. Thomas, Ontario.
“My brother was a huge Red Wings fan. My dad absolutely loved Gordie, so there’s a natural trickledown effect from there,” Thornton said.
• Back on Nov. 28, after the Sharks got thumped by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Logan Couture said his team wasn’t even “close” to being in the Stanley Cup conversation. Now, they’re really close to being the top team in the Western Conference.
With a win over the Canucks on Monday, the Sharks would leapfrog the Calgary Flames and gain the top spot in the Pacific Division standings for the first time this season. A single point would also catapult them past the Winnipeg Jets, who lay claim to first place in the Central Division.
“It’s something that we’d be very proud of at this point,” Couture said before Monday’s game. “When you think about the season as a whole with the difficult start, the way our game was, we weren’t close to the way we’re capable of playing. That’s why the frustration was so high in the room.
“It would be a nice touch to win tonight.”
The Sharks attempted to do so with hometown boy Martin Jones in the goal crease, who’s 7-1-1 with a .949 save percentage in nine career appearances against the Canucks.