Just when the year had a promising start, the San Jose Sharks are now facing a rush of injuries. As the Sharks made their way to Utah, a few faces were missing and a few more were making the trip on a questionable status.
With only 38 games left in the season for the Sharks, these injuries could not come at a worse time. The number of injuries coming in at one time is concerning for the team and the rest of their season.
Sharks Left Behind Key Players from One Game Road Trip
Nikolai Kovalenko did not make the trip with his teammates to Utah. The forward has been marked as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. As of now, it looks as if he could return for Saturday’s game, yet that can still be a game-time decision.
Defenceman Jake Walman also did not make the trip with the team. He has been out since December 21st with a lower-body injury. He has been back skating which is a promising sight. Even though he did not make this current trip, he could be a game-day decision Saturday.
Goaltender Still Remains Questionable for Return
Goaltender Vitek Vanecek has not returned to the lineup. After getting hit by a stray puck on the sidelines on December 17th, fracturing his cheek. He has recently resumed skating, with the ability to wear a goalie mask. His timeline is still not known as to when he will return.
Vitek Vanecek on the ice before #SJSharks morning skate. He is able to put on a full goalie mask as he deals with a broken cheekbone pic.twitter.com/dEUyxOsHvk
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) January 7, 2025
Top Players Remain Questionable and A Game Day Decision
Heading to Utah, the Sharks took Fabian Zetterlund, Cody Ceci and Carl Grundstrom. Each one has been battling an injury, some mild and some more severe.
Forward, Fabian Zetterlund was not at practice on Wednesday or Thursday. He has been battling a lower-body injury. He has played in 147 consecutive games for the Sharks since he signed with them; this streak could be coming to an end this weekend. However, he did suit up against Utah and scored the Sharks lone goal. This is promising in that his injury is not severe and he has just needed a few days to relax and regroup.
After suffering an upper-body injury, Carl Grundstrom has not played since December 28th. He finally skated on Thursday and made the trip to Utah with the team. It is not set in stone if he will play Saturday as he did not play against Utah.
Defenceman Cody Ceci travelled with the team on Thursday. He missed practice on Wednesday with an upper-body injury. He appeared at practice on Thursday and made an appearance in the lineup on Friday. Ryan Warsofksy was confident that Ceci was ready to play on Friday. “Yeah, he’ll be good to go. He practiced today. So as long as he got through today, I’m gonna talk to our training staff this afternoon, but he’ll travel. We’re pretty sure he’s gonna play.”
Sharks Pushing Forward Amidst Injuries
With the onslaught of injuries, small and big, this can greatly impact the team from here on out. With players now out of the lineup and some questionable, the rest of the team will need to step up.
The Sharks are 44 games into their season, last in the Pacific Division with a record of 13-25-6. They lost to the Utah Hockey Club on Friday, January 10th. Utah is sitting sixth in the Central Division with a record of 18-16-7.
Utah was a hard team to play against, their drive to win was present and they fought to the end. The Sharks need to be ready moving forward through the season if they want to win while short-handed.
Main Photo Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images
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