The San Jose Sharks will be without Jeff Skinner for at least a week and possibly longer after placing the veteran winger on injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body ailment.

Skinner was injured in the first period of Thursday’s road game against the Calgary Flames. He and forward Rory Kerins were chasing after a loose puck inside the Flames zone when Skinner caught an edge and lost his balance, causing his right skate to collide awkwardly against the boards.

Skinner fell to the ice, clutched his lower right leg, and was unable to put any weight on it as he was helped off at the 18:07 mark of the first period.

The Sharks announced before the start of the second period that Skinner would not return, as the Flames went on to a 2-0 win, ending San Jose’s four-game winning streak.

Skinner will at least have to miss the next three games, although, given the violent nature of the injury, it seems plausible he’ll have to miss more time than that.

Coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters before Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken that Skinner remains day-to-day for now and that he’ll be re-evaluated after the Sharks return to San Jose. The Sharks’ game on Saturday concludes a three-game road trip.

#SJSharks Skinner shaken up here, had to be helped off the ice. pic.twitter.com/500DhhNvnY

— TEAL TOWN USA – A San Jose Sharks Podcast (@TEALTOWNUSA) November 14, 2025

The 33-year-old Skinner, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Sharks in July as a free agent, has seven points in 16 games. In 1,095 career NHL games, Skinner has 377 goals and 329 assists.

Skinner has mainly been a middle-six forward for the Sharks this season and was on the team’s third line with Ty Dellandrea and Collin Graf on Thursday. Skinner was averaging 12:22 in ice time in 17 games this season.

To fill Skinner’s spot on the roster, the Sharks recalled center Zack Ostapchuk from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. With the Sharks only carrying 12 forwards on their active roster, Ostapchuk will make his season debut with the team on Saturday, centering the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves on the wings.

Ostapchuk played in 13 games with the Sharks toward the end of last season after he was acquired from Ottawa as part of the deadline-day trade that sent forward Fabian Zetterlund to the Senators.

So far this season with the Barracuda, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound Ostapchuk has three goals and one assist in 11 games. He was recalled by the Sharks for three days earlier this month, but did not play a game.

The Sharks begin a four-game homestand on Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth, followed by games against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, the Senators on Saturday, and the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

NEDELJKOVIC BACK

Goalie Yaroslav Askarov will have the night off Saturday as Alex Nedeljkovic, who was added back to the Sharks’ active roster on Friday, will start against the Kraken. Nedeljkovic was away from the Sharks for two days to attend to a personal matter in San Jose.

Askarov has been the NHL’s best goalie over the past two weeks with a .965 save percentage and a 4-1-0 record in his last five games. According to Sportradar, Askarov is the first goalie since the 1955-56 season, when the NHL began tracking such statistics, to have a save percentage that high over a five-game stretch without a shutout.

In the Sharks’ 6-1 win over the Kraken on Nov. 5, Askarov stopped 29 of 30 shots.

Nedeljkovic entered Saturday with a 3-1-1 record and a .920 save percentage in his last five games, including a 32-save performance in a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 7.

LINEUP CHANGES

Defenseman Nick Leddy will return to the Sharks’ lineup after a three-week absence. Leddy was placed on IR with an upper-body ailment after he was injured in the Sharks’ Oct. 23 game against the New York Rangers. He was activated last Monday and will be paired with Vincent Desharnais for at least the start of Saturday’s game.

Sam Dickinson and Timothy Liljegren will be healthy scratches against the Kraken. This is the second time in three games that Liljegren will be scratched.