SAN JOSE — San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro will have to miss the season’s final four games with a lower-body injury, further decimating the team’s blue line as it tries to finish what’s left of another challenging year on a positive note.
Ferraro was injured while the Sharks were killing a penalty late in the second period of Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Standing in front of the Sharks’ net, Ferraro crumpled to the ice after he was struck in the ankle by a Matt Boldy shot just before Joel Eriksson Ek’s scored his second goal of the game.
Ferraro had to be helped off the ice and did not return to the game, which the Sharks lost 8-7 in overtime. Starting with Friday’s game in Edmonton against the Oilers, the Sharks, still in 32nd and last place in the NHL’s overall standings with a 20-47-11 record, have six days left in their season.
Ferraro, an alternate captain in his sixth NHL season, led the current Sharks roster in average time on ice (21:24) and shorthanded time on ice per game (2:41). Ferraro has also led the Sharks in blocked shots each of the last five years, and had 125 blocks and 17 points in 78 games this season.
“It’s a tough loss for us, as far as what he brings to our group,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Ferraro on Thursday. “Leadership, the way he competes every night, this is hard on him. He really wanted to play every game this year.”
Ferraro’s injury comes just over a week after Shakir Mukhamadullin also sustained a season-ending upper-body injury in a April 1 game against the Anaheim Ducks.
It remains unclear whether Ferraro or Mukhamadullin will need surgery on their respective injuries, although Warsofsky said there could be more clarity in Mukhamadullin’s case in the coming days.
After the March 7 trade deadline, which saw the Sharks send Jake Walman to the Oilers among several other moves, Ferraro and Mukhamadullin had comprised the Sharks’ top defense pair.
Now the Sharks are scrambling for replacements, although Warsofsky said defensemen Henry Thrun, Jack Thompson, and Timothy Liljegren could see elevated roles.
Jan Rutta, out since late January with a lower-body injury, is nearing a return. The Sharks hope Rutta can play on this road trip, which continues with games in Calgary on Sunday and Vancouver on Monday, but it was unclear whether he would be available against the Oilers.
Warsofsky said Vincent Desharnais (upper body) will not be able to return before Rutta. If Rutta cannot play Friday, the Sharks would need to recall a defenseman from the Barracuda.
With that as a backdrop, the Sharks face a potent Oilers team that just welcomed Connor McDavid back into their lineup on Wednesday after he missed eight straight games with a lower-body injury. McDavid had three assists in Edmonton’s 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.
“We need guys to step up. There’s no question about it,” Warsofsky said. “With four games left, we need guys to step up back there.”
Originally Published:
Source: Paradise Post
