Couture, who is expected to be out 4-to-6 weeks, will undergo surgery Saturday to fix his fractured right fibula at the ankle, Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Advertisement
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said more details about Couture’s status would be made available Friday morning.
Martin Jones fell just short of a third consecutive shutout, and then Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns scored in a shootout to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the winless New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
According to a report by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Couture was injured during a five-on-five drill in Thursday’s practice. The 20-year-old Goldobin has played in one game with the Barracuda this season.
Saw Logan Couture on crutches leaving the Prudential Center with a protective boot on the right foot. Smith has been a healthy scratch for the Sharks first three games. San Jose still has Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Chris Tierney and Tomas Hertl, five centers capable of playing as a top-six pivot.
Advertisement
Of course, if his recovery takes the longer projected timetable, Sharks fans won’t see Couture again until the final week of November – which means that his next matchup could come against either the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, or Pittsburgh Penguins. Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said Joonas Donskoi is still dealing with a lower body injury. “We’ve played really, really solid both ends of the ice, and we haven’t spent a lot of time in our zone in the four games”. They’ve had one of the league’s best power plays for what seems like forever. He started the 2014-15 season with HIFK in Finland, posting 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 38 games. The 20-year-old Russian has high-end offensive skill, as evidenced by his 94 points in 67 games during his pre-draft season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting.
