Erik Karlsson explains why he’ll be healthy for Sharks playoffs

Erik Karlsson guarantees that he'll be healthy enough to rejoin the Sharks lineup in the playoffs.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Joe Pavelski is ready to rejoin the Sharks lineup. The team is still waiting on Erik Karlsson.

With just three games left on the schedule, Karlsson re-issued his guarantee that he’ll be healthy enough to skate on the Sharks blue line when the Stanley Cup playoffs kick off on April 10. The two-time Norris Trophy winner stopped short of saying whether he expects to play a tune-up game before the regular season wraps up in San Jose on April 6.

Regardless, Karlsson insisted that he feels “good,” claiming that he’d be on the ice if the Sharks were playing Game 1 of their opening round series with the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday instead of regular season game No. 80 against the Vancouver Canucks.

“If the playoffs started today, the situation would be a little bit different,” Karlsson said. “I said I was going to be ready for the playoffs and that’s still the case.”

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Head coach Pete DeBoer said he’d like to get Karlsson into a game before the playoffs, but he isn’t going to do so “at the expense of rushing him.”

Sharks territory is holding its breath. The team went all-in by trading for Karlsson on the eve of training camp, a move that could prove to have been for naught if the blue liner continues to be hindered in the playoffs by the groin issues that have plagued him since he first left the ice in the third period of a game on Jan. 15.

No one can blame the fan base for being skeptical about Karlsson’s health heading toward the playoffs. After he left the game on Jan. 15, Karlsson played in Arizona the next night before sitting out nine games in a row, a stretch from Jan. 19 to Feb. 16 that included an appearance in the All-Star Game in San Jose. Karlsson then returned for four games, re-tweaking the injury in Columbus on Feb. 23. He tried to return in Boston on Feb. 26 after skipping a game in Detroit two days earlier and ended up limping down the tunnel going into the second intermission, suffering what he is calling a second injury in the groin region.

But Karlsson claims that he’s healthier now compared to when he returned from the initial injury against the Canucks on Feb. 16.

“I feel much better now,” Karlsson said. “Once I step on the ice, I’m not going to be worried about moving forward. It’s just going to get better and better with each day that goes by. We’re still (eight) days away from the first game in the playoffs, so that’s a positive, too.”

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But Karlsson also felt confident when he attempted his botched return in Boston on Feb. 26. That night, he left the ice in the second period after he aggravated his groin. Then, when he returned later in the frame, he could barely skate and got burned off the rush on a pair of occasions.

Why is he so sure that he won’t re-tweak his latest groin injury whenever he rejoins the lineup?

Karlsson suggested that he and the team handled the issue better this time around. Last month, he took accountability for attempting to play before the injury was fully healed.

“I’m really comfortable about that,” Karlsson said. “Again, a different injury and right from the start we made sure we knew exactly what it was, how it was going to be, and so far, it’s been on schedule. It’s been going the way we anticipated it to. Again, this is part of the game we play. Things like this happen and these are the risks that you take.

“It shouldn’t be an injury that effects me short term or long term.”

Erik Karlsson goes for a twirl with his teammates at #SJSharks am skate in Vancouver pic.twitter.com/RAHzaUDP8X

— Paul Gackle (@GackleReport) April 2, 2019

As the Sharks await Karlsson’s return, Pavelski will be rejoining the squad on Tuesday after missing seven consecutive games with his own lower-body injury. The Sharks went 1-5-1 in the captain’s absence. Melker Karlsson and Lukas Radil with both miss their third straight games with lower-body injuries on Tuesday.

“It’s hard sitting out watching games,” Pavelski said. “You want to be out there competing with the guys, so it’s definitely nice to be coming back.

“We’ll see how tonight goes, if it’s one (game) on, one (game) off, something like that. Hopefully, everything just feels good to go, play it out and get some games and timing back.”

Pavelski getting ready to skate with #SJSharks at morning practice. Will he return tonight? Stay tuned pic.twitter.com/z0bOLlQwpv

— Paul Gackle (@GackleReport) April 2, 2019

The Sharks took extra caution with Pavelski’s injury, hoping to avoid setbacks on the eve of the playoffs. With a week left on the schedule, the team decided it was finally time to test the injury.

“Obviously, there’s always a chance (of re-injury),” Pavelski said. “I feel like we’ve given it enough time probably and now it’s time to push it a little bit, and see where we’re at. I thought I would have been playing a little bit earlier.”

The Sharks will also be making a lineup change on the blue line for Tuesday’s game in Vancouver. Jacob Middleton will be suiting up for his second NHL game, replacing Joakim Ryan, who’s struggled in his nine appearances since Radim Simek went down with a major-knee injury on March 12.

Middleton skated for just 5:02 in his NHL debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 5.

“It was a humbling experience, but you also learn that you can play here and you’ve just got to make the most of it,” Middleton said.

When Karlsson returns, Tim Heed will likely retain a spot in the lineup as the Sharks sixth defenseman. But the Sharks need to see what Middleton can do, find out whether he’s a viable option in the playoffs if the team suffers another injury on the blue line now that Ryan’s flunked his audition as Brent Burns’ defensive partner.

“It’s a great opportunity,” DeBoer said. “Who knows? Some of the guys that have jumped in have been OK, but defensively, I haven’t loved our game lately. It’s a chance for a guy with a little bit of a different element to get in there and see what he can do.”