SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks on Monday placed forwards Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev on injured reserve, meaning both players will be out for the team’s upcoming three-game homestand and possibly longer.
Smith and Kurashev were both injured during Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Kurashev left the game midway through the second period after crashing hard into the end boards in the Penguins’ zone. Smith was hurt with 16:30 left in the third period, as he was hit into the boards by Pittsburgh defenseman Parker Wotherspoon in the Penguins’ zone.
Smith immediately began to skate off the ice and threw off one of his gloves as he clutched his right arm before he reached the bench.
Right after the hit, center Macklin Celebrini went after Wotherspoon, with both players falling to the ice to start a brief melee.
Smith and Kurashev began the game on the Sharks’ top line with Celebrini. Smith is the Sharks’ second-leading scorer with 29 points in 32 games before Saturday, and Kurashev had 15 points in 30 games.
With Smith and Kurashev out, forwards Igor Chernyshov and Ethan Cardwell have been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.
The Sharks begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames, followed by games against the Dallas Stars on Thursday and the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
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