ST. LOUIS — The San Jose Sharks acquired Erik Karlsson to win a Stanley Cup, but Tuesday night they’ll try to save their National Hockey League season without him.
Sharks coach Peter DeBoer confirmed that neither Karlsson nor pivotal centre Tomas Hertl made the trip to St. Louis for Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against the Blues. Captain Joe Pavelski did not take the morning skate and will be a game-time decision as San Jose tries to avoid being eliminated again before the Stanley Cup Final.
None of the three San Jose stars finished Sunday’s 5-0 loss that gave St. Louis a 3-2 series lead, one win away from that franchise’s first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.
“Both Joes are the heartbeat of this team,” DeBoer said of Pavelski and Joe Thornton, the 39-year-old icon who could be playing his final NHL game. “All three of those [injured] guys are important guys. If we have them great. If we don’t, next man up and we’ve got to find a way to get the job done.”
Karlsson, the two-time Norris Trophy winner acquired from the Ottawa Senators last September, missed 27 games late in the season with a groin injury. The impending unrestricted free agent has played the playoffs on one leg, but his injury appeared to worsen against the physical Blues.
Hertl was injured Sunday on an unpenalized hit to the head by Blues forward Ivan Barbashev, while Pavelski, who missed most of the second round due to a concussion, left the game in the third period after a hard hit on the boards by Alex Pietrangelo.
Defenceman Tim Heed and forward Marcus Sorensen are among the candidates to draw into the lineup with the Sharks facing elimination.
“These guys are hockey players. There’s not a lot of conversations that need to be said,” DeBoer said.
“The one thing I can tell is you is we’ve relied on our depth all year. We played without Pavelski for six of the seven games against Colorado. Jumbo [Thornton] got suspended and we played without him. Erik Karlsson has been whatever percentage the whole time. This isn’t new to our group.”
Still looking for their first Stanley Cup despite leading the NHL in wins the last 15 seasons – making the playoffs 14 times and playing their fifth conference final – the Sharks are 4-0 these playoffs while facing elimination.
“We’ve been here,” DeBoer said.
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