Vanecek to miss time with fractured cheek; Hertl reflects on Sharks’ tribute, return to San Jose
SAN JOSE — Sharks goalie Vitek Vanecek’s unfortunate incident earlier this month will keep him out of the team’s lineup for some time.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky revealed Saturday that Vanecek sustained a fractured cheek on Dec. 17 when he was struck by an inadvertent puck to the face while sitting on the bench during a game against Winnipeg.
Warsofsky said Vanecek’s status remains week-to-week, expressing confidence that the injury would not become month-to-month. The veteran goalie went on injured reserve Friday.
“It’s frustrating. You feel for him and what happened, and just how fluky it is,” Warsofsky said Saturday before the Sharks played the Calgary Flames at SAP Center. “But it happened. That’s the card he was dealt. And we know (Vanecek) is going to work extremely hard to get back and help our hockey team.”
Cheek fractures typically take about six weeks to heal, according to the British NHS. Yaroslav Askarov, who was recalled from the AHL to spell Vanecek in San Jose’s goaltending rotation, will start against Calgary Saturday night.
Along with Vanecek, forward William Eklund (upper body injury) and defenseman Jake Walman (lower body) remain day-to-day. Neither skated Saturday morning and both were ruled out from playing against Calgary.
“Both of them are progressing,” Warsofsky said. “Won’t play tonight, and we’ll kind of go back after the off day and see how they’re at.”
Kostin returns against Flames
Forward Klim Kostin will return to the Sharks’ lineup Saturday night against Calgary, Warsofsky confirmed, with Nikolai Kovalenko being a healthy scratch.
Warsofsky felt Kostin was playing some of his best hockey of the season before he sustained an upper-body injury in the second period of the Sharks’ Dec. 12 game in St. Louis. The Sharks went 0-5-1 in his absence.
“Yeah, I gotta get Kosty back in there,” Warsofsky said. “He was playing some good hockey. That’s kind of the thought process.”
Kovalenko had five assists in his first four games with the Sharks this month but has been held without a point, with just two shots on goal, in his last four games.
“I just need more consistent play from him,” Warsofsky said of Kovalenko, who joined the Sharks on Dec. 9 as part of the Mackenzie Blackwood-Alexandar Georgiev goaltender swap.
Kostin skated with Tyler Toffoli and Mikael Granlund on Saturday morning.
Warsofsky still upset over loss
It was evident Saturday morning that Warsofsky had not gotten over his disdain for the Sharks’ third-period performance against Vegas on Friday night.
So he brought San Jose back for a full team skate Saturday morning.
San Jose, in front of a sellout crowd, blew a one-goal lead in the third period and lost 6-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights, who scored two shorthanded goals in the first 86 seconds of the final frame to take a lead they would not relinquish.
“It just wasn’t good enough last night, the way we stopped playing in the third period,” Warsofsky said. “So we’ve got to make sure we start on time tonight, 7 o’clock. We’ve got to start putting in habits, winning habits, in our hockey team.
“I sound like a broken record, but this is a process that needs to start now. It can’t start years from now. You need to understand what it takes to win in this league. It’s a fine line. We have winners in there. We have guys that have won at all levels. They know what it looks like. We’ve got to start doing it on a nightly basis.”
Tomas’ tribute
Forward Tomas Hertl, who spent 11 seasons in San Jose before he was traded to the Golden Knights in March, was appreciative of the video tribute the Sharks gave him before Friday’s game and of the warm reception he received from fans at SAP Center.
“Definitely, it was a nice tribute, and nice from the fans,” Hertl said after the game. “It was really weird, honestly. After 11 years, it was the first time coming back. So, the feelings were mixed, especially early in the game.”
Hertl didn’t have a point in the game but won five of eight faceoffs in 18:26 of ice time. It was also his first look at Sharks rookie centerman Macklin Celebrini, who had an assist in the game, six shot attempts, and won five of eight faceoffs in 18:37 of ice time.
“I was really impressed,” Hertl said of Celebrini. “He’s really talented, and he doesn’t seem 18 years old, because he’s making strong plays, he plays hard. Definitely, he’s got a huge future in front of him because he’s just 18, and he’s making unreal plays already.”
Staff writer Curtis Pashelka contributed to this story.