Game Preview/Lines #17: Karlsson Won’t Rush Back From This Groin Injury?

Erik Karlsson’s groin injury has gone from “day to day” to “week to week,” per Bob Boughner. What does that mean for the San Jose Sharks?

Also, Boughner shares Radim Simek and Dylan Gambrell injury updates.

And how will the Sharks counteract this key Minnesota Wild strength?

San Jose Sharks (7-7-2)

Projected lines for the #SJSharks as they host the #MNWild.

Sorensen draws in, Jones in net.

Get ready for today's game—> https://t.co/wmyWBR90aU pic.twitter.com/S18gkpkmFy

— Locked on LEONARD SZN (@LockedOnSharks) February 22, 2021

Minnesota Wild (8-6-2)

Greenway-Eriksson Ek-Fiala

Kaprizov-Rask-Zuccarello

Parise-Hartman-Foligno

Sturm-Bonino-Bjugstad

Suter-Spurgeon

Brodin-Dumba

Soucy-Cole

Kahkonen

(HT Jessi Pierce)

Where to Watch

Puck drop is 7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it on NBC Sports Bay Area, FOX Sports North, or NHL.tv.

Morning Skate

Let’s start with the “good” injury news?

Radim Simek is on the ice after taking consecutive shots from Jonathan Marchessault on Feb. 13 – he’s on track to play on Feb. 25 against…the Vegas Golden Knights.

Simek is on the ice for #SJSharks morning skate (last d-man shooting here). Good sign that he's indeed close pic.twitter.com/Au1p8WPt1n

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 22, 2021

Dylan Gambrell may also be close. Gambrell went into concussion protocol on Saturday after Kyle Clifford rocked him along the wall.

Gambrell left game after this hard Clifford hit in the 2nd period pic.twitter.com/BEyJI2Gap0

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 21, 2021

Boughner said Gambrell is feeling better: “He’ll have a chance of coming back and playing Thursday.”

The news about Erik Karlsson isn’t as good.

After an ill-fated practice spin last Wednesday, it appears that Karlsson still hasn’t hit the ice to test out his groin injury. Boughner hopes to get Karlsson on the ice mid-week. The San Jose Sharks head coach ruled Karlsson out this Thursday, calling Saturday a possibility. I guess “week to week” is retroactive to Feb. 13, when Karlsson pulled himself out of a game.

If there’s any good news to draw from Boughner’s statements today, it’s the continued insistence that this Karlsson groin injury isn’t related to his 2019 groin surgery – and the implication that unlike 2019, Karlsson won’t rush back.

“It’s not related. That’s the good thing,” Boughner emphasized. “If anything, what he learned from last time around is not trying to — catching it early.”

Boughner said Karlsson met with the coaches yesterday and was in generally good spirits, in part because the San Jose Sharks were playing well without him.

“He wants to come back healthy and know he can be a difference-maker,” Boughner said. “He’s not playing as a 7-out-of-10 kind of player.”

SPORTLOGiQ Pre-Game Stat of the Night

The Minnesota Wild generate a lot of chances from getting to rebounds in the blue paint. According to SPORTLOGiQ, they’re first in the NHL in Even Strength Inner Slot Shots on Net and third in 2^nd Chance (Rebound) Shot Attempts from the Slot.

How will the San Jose Sharks counteract this Wild strength?

“They’re a heavy team. We have to be inside at our net,” Boughner said.

“They use their points a lot. They usually start with a low-to-high sift or a shot through.

“Our forwards, we have to block shots and punch out hard to the point. If that puck gets down there to the blue paint, we have to collapse, we have to have five in there battling.

“We have to be physical. You gotta control their sticks.

“This game is going to be won and lost in the trenches.”