Sharks update: Emberson’s injury, Vlasic’s streak, and more on Couture
Ty Emberson will not play Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens and appears to be headed toward the injured reserve list, leaving the reeling San Jose Sharks without another defenseman for an undetermined amount of time.
Sharks coach David Quinn, whose team is on a 12-game losing streak, said Thursday that Emberson’s upper-body injury wasn’t the result of one particular incident but was rather “a lingering situation for him and it’s just gotten progressively worse.”
Emberson, who has averaged close to 19 minutes of ice time in 21 games this season, also had a foot injury last month that caused him to miss 12 games.
On the blue line, the Sharks are already without Matt Benning, who had hip surgery in December and is out for the season, and Jacob MacDonald, who is considered week to week with a lower-body injury.
With Emberson out, Marc-Edouard Vlasic will draw into the lineup for the second time in the last eight games. Also, Kevin Labanc will replace Scott Sabourin in the forward group as the Sharks look for their first win since Dec. 12.
Vlasic has appeared in just 19 games this season, but will keep a personal streak alive, as he has dressed for every game the Sharks have played in his hometown of Montreal since he came into the NHL in 2006.
“He’s really hasn’t had a chance to get into a rhythm because we haven’t practiced a lot,” Quinn said of Vlasic, who will play in his 1,259th NHL game. “We’ve been able to skate a little bit more lately, so he’s been able to have some extended practices.
“We just need him to be Marc-Edouard Vlasic. He’s had a Hall of Fame career and is a guy that can give us things that we need.”
If Emberson does go on IR, that would free up a roster spot to activate captain Logan Couture, whose return appears imminent.
Quinn wouldn’t necessarily rule out a return for Couture as soon as Saturday when the Sharks play the Ottawa Senators.
“He looks good,” Quinn said of Couture, who practiced Wednesday in Montreal. “There’s never been a concrete date where we think he’s going to play. But I think moving forward here after every day, any game’s a possibility. But it really is day to day for him.”
Nico Sturm (hand injury) is also on the road trip and indications are he’ll be able to return within the next one or two weeks. The Sharks are 0-15-0 this season without Stum in the lineup.
The Sharks are trying to wipe the slate clean after a first half of the season that saw them win just nine of 41 games and accumulate a league-low 21 points. They’ve been outscored 54-17 on this 12-game skid and entered Thursday last in the NHL in goals for (1.98) and goals against (4.10).
“We’re past the halfway point. It’s a new season,” Quinn said. There’s really nothing we can do about the first half. We’ve all talked about the reasons why the first half unfolded the way it did, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Nobody felt good coming to the rink (Wednesday).
“When you go to practice, there are a bunch of things you want to work on, and the only thing we needed to work on yesterday was our mentality. When you’re in a good mindset, all these other things happen. You defend better, pass better, shoot better, your responsibilities on faceoffs are more efficient, and that’s kind of what’s going on.
“Basically, the message was, it’s the second half of the season and that starts today.”