SAN JOSE – Shakir Mukhamadullin’s upper-body injury will keep him out of the San Jose Sharks’ final six games of the season and any playoff run the San Jose Barracuda might go on later this month.
Mukhamadullin, 23, was injured in the third period of last Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. Mukhamadullin spent the next few days being evaluated, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said, to determine the severity of the injury.
Warsofsky would not say what the injury is and could not confirm whether it would require surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery.
“We’re not there yet,” Warsofsky said when asked if Mukhamadullin needed surgery.
After he collided with Ducks Troy Terry in the neutral zone, a play that knocked down the Ducks forward, Mukhamadullin was grabbed by Anaheim winger Frank Vatrano, who dropped his stick and threw his gloves down, grabbed the Sharks blueliner and dragged him to the ice.
Mukhamadullin, not expecting Vatrano to come after him, tried to brace his fall by putting his left arm down before the Ducks forward moved over top of him. Mukhamadullin landed awkwardly, and Vatrano skated away. Mukhamadullin sat up and winced in pain as he reached for his upper body, and was then assisted to the Sharks’ dressing room by a team trainer.
Before the injury, Mukhamadullin had been on the Sharks’ top defense pair, averaging well over 20 minutes in ice time per game.
“It’s unfortunate. He was playing some good hockey,” Warsofsky said of Mukhamadullin. “That’s how this game works, there’s injuries that will happen. In every sport, there’s going to be some adversity, and this kid’s going through his adversity at a young age, and we’ll be there to support him and get him through this.”
The Sharks, officially eliminated from playoff contention last month, only have five games remaining after Monday’s game against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center. They will play their last game on April 16 at home against the Edmonton Oilers.
Last month, Mukhamadullin and forward Collin Graf were briefly returned to the AHL just before the NHL Trade Deadline, so both would be eligible to play when the Calder Cup playoffs began.
The Barracuda’s final regular-season game is April 20 in Calgary against the Wranglers. The Barracuda are on the verge of clinching a spot in the playoffs, which begin shortly afterward.
“It’s a tough bounce for them, for sure,” Warsofsky said of the Barracuda. “But again, this is the game of hockey. No one feels bad for you. So, next man up, and there’ll be some guys that will play some big minutes down the stretch and get a really good opportunity.”
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