SAN JOSE — Captain Joe Pavelski likely will not play Friday and the availability of some other Sharks forwards is also in question for Game 1 of their second round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday at SAP Center. Pavelski is considered day-to-day after he suffered a scary head injury midway through the third period of Game 7 of the Sharks’ series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Pavelski was at the Sharks’ practice facility Thursday but did not take the ice and was not available to the media. “I saw him this morning. He’s OK,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “It could have been worse. You could have been dealing with a fractured skull or something like that. Thankfully, we weren’t, but he’s definitely feeling the effects of it.” Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, commentary and conversation. Pavelski, the Sharks’ leading goal scorer this season with 38, was injured after a faceoff in the Golden Knights’ end. He was knocked off balance by a cross check into the chest from Vegas center Cody Eakin and then pushed by forward Paul Stastny. Pavelski landed awkwardly after the hit as the back of his head hit the ice. After several moments, Pavelski was helped off the ice. “It’s a tough situation,” Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon said, “but we’re glad to see that he’s OK.” Pavelski’s injury is one of a handful the Sharks are dealing with after a bruising series against the Golden Knights that went the distance. Forward Melker Karlsson also did not practice Thursday. Joonas Donskoi, who was a scratch for Game 7, skated briefly on his own Thursday morning but did not take part in the full practice. Forward Micheal Haley, who hasn’t played since he blocked a shot by Shea Theodore with the inside of his left foot in Game 3 against the Golden Knights, practiced but according to DeBoer, is not all the way back from his injury. “Like anybody this time of year,” DeBoer said, “we’ve got a lot of game-time decisions.” For complete Sharks coveragefollow us on Flipboard. In Thursday’s practice, Gus Nyquist took Pavelski’s spot on the Sharks’ second line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier. Lukas Radil skated on a line with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane and the fourth line was comprised of Haley, Barclay Goodrow and Dylan Gambrell. “We’re going to need guys to step into the lineup here and help out,” Couture said. “Those guys aren’t easy to replace, but we’re going to need other guys to step up and play bigger minutes and contribute to our team to be successful.” Radil dressed for games 4 and 7 against the Golden Knights but played only sparingly. Thursday, he had just two minutes and 36 seconds of ice time. Gambrell played eight games with the Sharks this year as he spent most of this season with the Barracuda. He has never dressed for an NHL playoff game. “Every team goes through their injury bugs and it’s a time for different guys that haven’t played much all year to step up and show their worth,” Sharks center Joe Thornton said. “I’m excited for the guys that get to be put in that position.” One of the positives for the Sharks is starting the second round at home, and not having to get on a flight to another city Friday. The Sharks are the highest-seed remaining in the Western Conference after the Avalanche, which squeaked into the playoffs as the second wild card team, dispatched of top seeded Calgary in five games in the first round. “We know there’s going to be energy in the building tomorrow night. That’s a given,” Couture said. “There may not be the same energy that was there at the end of that Game 7, but they’ll be energized and they’ll give us energy.” “I’m more worried about our emotional level than our physical,” DeBoer said. “You’re fighting for your life for three games in a row, that taxes you emotionally, so we’ve got to get our emotional levels back up when we come out Friday night.” Right now, Colorado looks as dangerous as any team left in the west. Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon combined for eight goals and nine assists in the first round and collectively, the Avalanche held the Flames — the NHL’s second-highest scoring team in the regular season, to 11 goals over five games. Goalie Philipp Grubauer finished the first round with a .939 save percentage, a continuation of his strong second half of the regular season. Related Articles San Jose Sharks reach last-minute settlement over Google’s downtown development NHL Draft Lottery: San Jose Sharks now know their chances of winning San Jose Sharks final grades: Too many key players fell short of expectations Items from Patrick Marleau’s historic night to be on display Bob Boughner believes associate coach will be an NHL bench boss soon “I watched almost every game. They were incredible,” Couture said of the Avalanche’s series against the Flames. “They were fast. They looked dangerous every time they had the puck. Every time MacKinnon touched the puck, I thought he was going to score or create a scoring opportunity. They were fun to watch. “If you watched a game of that series, there’s no way you can take that team lightly. They looked really, really good.”<doc-sep>As expected, Pavelski (head) won't be in the lineup for Friday's Game 1 against Colorado, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports. This news comes as no surprise considering Pavelski just suffered a frightening head injury during Tuesday's Game 7 win over the Golden Knights. The Sharks have yet to release any details regarding a potential timetable for the veteran pivot's recovery, but at this point he should probably be considered questionable at best for Sunday's Game 2 against the Avalanche.<doc-sep>
San Jose Sharks star Joe Pavelski suffered a horrifying head injury Tuesday night in a win over the Vegas Golden Knights. During a face-0ff, Vegas player Cody Eakin jacked the former Wisconsin star in the upper chest region with a crosscheck. It launched Pavelski off of his feet and caused him to collide with Paul Stastny. (SLIDESHOW: These Are The Hottest Women On Instagram) The NHL star hit his head on the ice hard, and was clearly in some serious trouble. You can watch two different angles of the play below. Cody Eakin Joe Pavelski#HfHits This was a 5 minute major pic.twitter.com/b8pShR5FFc — hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) April 24, 2019 A scary moment in San Jose as Joe Pavelski leaves the game after hitting his head on the ice. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/tR9Xn4PFjo — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 24, 2019 According to NBC Bay Area, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer had no update on Pavelski’s condition after the game. I’m not a doctor, but I feel confident saying he wasn’t in a great position after hitting the ice. That’s about as scary as it gets when it comes to hockey injuries. The last part of your body you want getting banged around is your head. (RELATED: Capitals Star T.J. Oshie Suffers Scary Injury, Won’t Return ‘Anytime Soon’) Pavelski also never had a chance thanks to Eakin. What an absolute dirty thing to do. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joe Pavelski (@jpav8) on Feb 13, 2019 at 1:24pm PST I hope Pavelski is able to bounce back soon. I’m not just saying that because he’s a Wisconsin man. I’m saying that because he’s a hell of a puck player and I never like seeing anybody getting their brain rattled. As for Eakin, he better be ready to throw fists if that’s the way he wants to play the game. You wanna be a tough guy, then you can pay the price. The Sharks will now play the Avalanche in the second round. Hopefully, Pavelski will be back with his team sooner than later. UPDATE: A previous version said Pavelski was hit in the face. Upon further reviewing the tape, it became clear he was hit in the high chest region.