SAN JOSE – Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson's season appears to be over.
Karlsson, 31, will miss his seventh straight game Tuesday when the Sharks play the Anaheim Ducks in their final game of the year at SAP Center.
Karlsson has dealt with a lower-body injury for at least two weeks and has not played since April 14 the Sharks lost in a shootout to the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.
Coach Bob Boughner on Tuesday morning did not sound optimistic that Karlsson would be able to play this week as the Sharks' 82-game schedule wraps up with road games with the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
"He's not skating. So, that doesn't point to a real positive sign that he's going to be dressing for the last couple of games," Boughner said Tuesday morning, "He hasn't been on the ice in a week."
If Karlsson is done, he'll have finished with 10 goals and 35 points in 50 games, an improvement over the 22 points he had in 52 games last season. The Sharks in both years dressed a handful of less-experienced players, likely affecting Karlsson's offensive output.
Still, this marks the sixth straight year that Karlsson hasn't been able to play a full schedule.
Karlsson missed six games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 11 for COVID-19-related reasons, then missed 15 games from late January 22 to March 6, as he had surgery to repair a small tear in his left forearm.
In that time, the Sharks went 3-7-5 and averaged an NHL-worst 2.00 goals per game. By the time Karlsson returned for the March 10 game in Los Angeles, the Sharks in 15 games had fallen from a .524 points percentage to .491.
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