Macklin Celebrini’s availability for the San Jose Sharks’ next game later this week remained in question Tuesday, as the team’s captain and No. 1 centerman stayed off the ice with a lower-body injury.

The Sharks held a full practice Tuesday afternoon in a Dallas suburb without Celebrini, who was scratched the night before, just minutes prior to San Jose’s game against the Stars at American Airlines Center.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told San Jose Hockey Now that Celebrini, the team’s leading scorer, has dealt with the injury since before Monday’s game and is now considered day-to-day. The Sharks are scheduled to practice again on Wednesday in St. Louis before they play the Blues on Thursday at Enterprise Center to finish their two-game road trip.

Warsofsky said he was unsure when the injury first started to bother Celebrini, adding that the Sharks have been managing the ailment. Before Monday, Celebrini had taken part in every practice and morning skate during training camp and through the first week of the season.

Celebrini joined the Sharks’ morning skate in Dallas on Monday and was on the ice for the start of warmups. He left the ice earlier than usual during warmups, a few minutes before he was officially scratched.

Without Celebrini, the Sharks were blasted 5-0 by the Stars in their first loss of the season, managing just 13 shots on net, including two in the first period.

Sharks players, like everyone else, said they learned just minutes before puck drop that Celebrini was unavailable. Perhaps it showed, as the Sharks were badly out-chanced almost from the start, allowing one goal late in the first period and three more in the second.

“I didn’t mind our first 10 minutes,” Warsofsky said after the loss. “I thought we did some good things, and then it kind of went south from there.”

“We’ve got to be better,” Sharks forward Will Smith said after the game. “(Celebrini) is obviously a big part of the team, but we needed a better effort than that tonight. That definitely doesn’t reflect the type of team we are.”

The Sharks allowed a power-play goal to Miro Heiskanen at the 18:51 mark of the first, marking the fifth time in three games this season they’ve allowed a goal within the final five minutes of a period.

“Those are the tough ones,” Warsofsky said. “First five of a period, last five of a period. We’ve got to lock that area in big time here going forward.”

Without Celebrini, the Sharks inserted forward Ty Dellandrea into the lineup, and he spent most of the final two periods at center on the top line with Will Smith and Mason Marchment on the wings.

Dellandrea, playing his first game of the season after being a healthy scratch for the first two, was a -2 with two hits and won three of 11 faceoffs.

Asked Monday how the Sharks have to adjust if they are without Celebrini for an extended time, Dellandrea said, “Everyone’s going to have to take a bigger chunk, contribute more, and elevate their game. So it starts with sticking to the game plan and trusting in that process. Everyone’s got to step up.”

The Sharks have struggled mightily the previous two years when Celebrini hasn’t been in the lineup or has been held off the scoresheet.

The last time Celebrini missed a Sharks game was on Nov. 2, 2024, when he was still recovering from another injury.

That year, Celebrini missed 12 games in total, and the Sharks went 3-8-1 during that time and finished with the NHL’s worst record that year at 20-50-12. Last season, when Celebrini didn’t score, the Sharks went 2-15-3.

Celebrini came into Monday as the Sharks’ leading scorer with five points, all assists, in two games. He also led the team with 22:20 in average ice time, as the Sharks earned overtime wins over the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings.

The Sharks have their deepest forward group in years and made moves this offseason to add some needed size, net-front toughness and puck-moving ability to their much-maligned defense corps.

Can that make a difference if the Sharks are without Celebrini for any length of time?

“There’s going to be moments over the course of the season, and if you want to be a good team, you got to be able to weather those storms,” Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “So we move on and get ready for St. Louis.”