The San Jose Sharks are without center Tomas Hertl, who flew back to the Bay Area on Friday for further testing on a lower-body injury, which appeared to occur in a collision with St. Louis Blues forward Jori Lehtera in the second period of the Sharks' 3-2 loss on Thursday. Hertl appeared to favor his right leg as he skated off the ice and did not return. Forward Melker Karlsson has missed two games with a lower-body injury but hasn't been ruled out for a return Saturday. The Sharks didn't skate Saturday, but coach Peter DeBoer told the San Jose Mercury he would have enough players to dress even in a worst-case scenario, and wouldn't add to the roster for the game. Goaltender Martin Jones is expected to start. Center Joe Thornton has two goals in the first 17 games for the second straight season. Forward Joe Pavelski, who had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in the first nine games, has one goal and two assists in the past eight. The Sharks have lost two straight games after winning the first three on a season-long, six-game road trip. They are 1-for-17 on the power play in their past six games, but DeBoer isn't panicking. "The analytics of it, as ugly as it looked [Thursday], say that through 17 games we are creating a lot of chances and we're going to score some goals," he told the Mercury News. "I like the look of our second unit. They have been good all year."
