San Jose Sharks feeling the effects of Tomas Hertl’s absence

The San Jose Sharks are clearly feeling the effects of the absence of Tomas Hertl and the team is in desperate need of his return to the starting lineup.

The San Jose Sharks have surged back from a lackluster 4-10-1 start to find themselves in the middle of an early-season playoff race. But despite their winning ways, it was clear that the team was missing Tomas Hertl.

The Sharks have been without Hertl since he suffered a lower-body injury late in the team’s November 19th loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Fortunately, their three-game win streak since that game helped to mask any potential concerns.

But on Wednesday, their issues finally caught up with them.

San Jose played host to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday after three straight overtime victories but came out and laid an egg falling 5-1 to their Western Conference adversaries.

While there were many issues with the team in that game, one thing was pretty apparent. They were missing their reliable second-line center.

In Hertl’s absence, head coach Peter DeBoer has opted for a lineup consisting of seven defensemen and just 11 forwards. And while that lineup produced three straight victories, the extra shifts for the forwards finally took their toll.

The Sharks appeared lethargic and slow as compared to their opponents as it became very apparent that the team was simply tired. Part of that was also a result of a jam-packed schedule that certainly didn’t help matters.

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The combination resulted in a disappointing, albeit expected outcome. The Sharks miss Hertl in more way than one.

They miss his efficiency on the power play, his steady hand centering the second line, and his overall presence in the lineup. And the impact of his absence has certainly been felt.

Prior to his injury, the Sharks’ power play ranked 12th in the NHL with a 21.4 percent success rate. In the three games since then, San Jose has fallen to 20th in the league with an 18.1 percent rate with a man advantage.

The Sharks were a lowly 0-for-6 on the power play in their loss to Winnipeg and they are 0-for-13 in their last five games. That’s uncharted territory for a Sharks power play that has actually been quite good this season.

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And Tomas Hertl’s absence certainly hasn’t helped matters.

On top of that, the loss of Hertl has meant that Barclay Goodrow has been thrust into an increased role manning the second line. Goodrow has held his own, but there’s evidently a drop-off in talent.

The Sharks were always going to run into trouble if they lost any of their top-six forwards given their lackluster depth. Fortunately, they were still able to find some success with Hertl sidelined.

The hope is that he will be able to play either late today against the Los Angeles Kings or Saturday night against the Arizona Coyotes. He did take a major step towards his return on Wednesday when he practiced with the team after their morning skate.

And with his return imminent, the Sharks will once again be able to go back to the normal 12-forward, six-defenseman lineup.