Two days after getting injured in a fight with Nikita Zadorov, San Jose Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse’s availability for Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators remained in question.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told San Jose Hockey Now that Nurse sustained an upper-body injury in the fight and will be a game-time decision at Bridgestone Arena as San Jose begins a six-game road trip.
Nurse exited Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins after fighting Zadorov with 13:20 left in regulation. After absorbing several hard punches from Zadorov, Nurse did not play another shift as the Sharks lost 6-3.
Warsofsky did not provide an update on Nurse after the game, and the team did not practice Wednesday before leaving for Nashville. With Nurse not seriously injured and able to travel, the Sharks didn’t need to recall anyone from the Barracuda.
Nurse, third on the Sharks in average ice time (20:35), took rushes with Michael Kesselring during the team’s morning skate in Nashville. San Jose, which also lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, is looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season.
The Sharks might also make other lineup changes for Thursday’s game.
If Nurse plays, defenseman Luca Cagnoni, who has a goal and an assist in six games, might be coming out after he was on the ice for Boston’s first three goals and was benched for the final 10 minutes of the second period, although Warsofsky didn’t put all of those goals on Cagnoni.
Cagnoni, who plays point on the Sharks’ No. 1 power-play unit, has averaged just under 19 minutes per game so far this season. If he’s out, Nolan Allan, a healthy scratch the last four games, will replace him. Allas has sat, while the improving Sam Dickinson took over a lineup spot after sitting the first two games.
Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, 5-4-0 with a .908 save percentage in nine career games against the Predators, will make his second start of the year.
Nedeljkovic split two starts against Nashville last season, stopping 39 of 47 shots for an .830 save percentage, and made 24 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues last Thursday.
Yaroslav Askarov, who had started five of the Sharks’ first six games, was not sharp in the loss to Boston, stopping just 20 of 25 shots. He has a 2-3-0 record and an .848 save percentage in his five starts.
After Thursday, the Sharks face the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, and the Montreal Canadiens next
Tuesday. San Jose’s road trip ends with stops in Ottawa on Sept. 22 and Boston on Sept. 24.
TRANSACTIONS
The Sharks reassigned forwards Alex Barre-Boulet and Cam Lund to the Barracuda on Thursday. Lund (upper body), who began the season on the non-roster list, was injured during the Sharks’ Rookie Faceoff event at Tech CU Arena in September. Barre-Boulet, who had been on injured reserve, did not play in a preseason game and went on waivers Wednesday before clearing Thursday.
The Barracuda (1-4-0-0) next play the Calgary Wranglers at home on Friday.