Logan Couture will not play on the Sharks’ three-game road trip that begins tonight in Edmonton, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters this morning. Couture stayed behind in San Jose yesterday, and will not travel with the team on the trip.
Couture left Saturday’s game in Nashville after he took a puck to the face late in the second period and did not return. The eighth-year center visited a dentist on Monday, but did not need his jaw wired shut, according to general manager Doug Wilson.
In Couture’s absence, Patrick Marleau centered Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson on the second line in Tuesday’s overtime win over the New York Rangers. Tomas Hertl and Chris Tierney stayed in their usual spots between the third and fourth line, respectively.
It’s unclear how DeBoer will utilize his forwards tonight, as the Sharks did not take line rushes this morning in Edmonton. Kevin Labanc, Dylan DeMelo, and Marcus Sorensen stayed on the ice for extra work, according to the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka.
When asked about his lineup decisions going forward after the win on Tuesday, DeBoer told reporters that he’d keep Tuesday night’s lineup together for another game, but added that lineup choices are not made far in advance.
“I thought the lines all looked good [against the Rangers],” DeBoer told reporters on Tuesday. “We got good o-zone time. We had good pressure, so we’ll keep them together for another game. But those [decisions are made] game-to-game.”
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