Programming note: Sharks-Penguins coverage starts Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
PITTSBURGH – Marc-Edouard Vlasic won’t play on Sunday against the Penguins at Consol Energy Center, as he’s still dealing with an unspecified lower body injury from Saturday’s Sharks win in Philadelphia.
Vlasic will be re-evaluated Monday when the Sharks are back in San Jose, but indications from head coach Todd McLellan are that the team’s top defenseman will miss more than just the Penguins game.
“He's not going to play tonight and the sense that I'm getting now is that when we get back, he'll be reviewed and we'll probably be looking a little longer than we originally anticipated,” McLellan said. “But, we won't know that until we get back.”
Vlasic said he couldn’t remember what happened in the first period against the Flyers. He took his last shift in the game with about four minutes to go in the opening frame.
[REWIND: Rough day to be d-man as Sharks squeak past Flyers]
He sounded more hopeful than his head coach, but it’s worth noting that the last time Vlasic was injured in early February, he told the local media he was suffering from a cold and was placed on injured reserve hours later, missing four games. The 27-year-old has been wearing extra protection for his neck area ever since.
“I'm not playing tonight and then I'm getting evaluated tomorrow,” said Vlasic, who has nine goals and 23 points in 70 games, and a team-high +12 rating. “So, talk to the doctors, get re-evaluated and go from there. We have two days off until we play again. Hopefully that helps.”
The Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, April 1.
Taylor Fedun was recalled from Worcester on Sunday morning, and will likely make his Sharks debut against the Penguins. Fedun has six goals, 33 points and a +10 rating in 63 games for the Sharks’ soon to be relocated AHL affiliate.
Scott Hannan, who also had to leave the game in Philadelphia after getting hit in the head in the third period, is expected to play, as well.
