San Jose Sharks Remain Mired Amid COVID Woes; Head Coach, 7 Players Still Sidelined
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- There was a little good news for the San Jose Sharks Monday -- forward Andrew Cogliano was given the green light to return to the lineup after spending time off the ice under the National Hockey League's COVID-19 protocol.
But just as Cogliano returned to the ice, forward Kevin Labanc was pulled off it and placed under the protocol.
He joins head coach Bob Boughner, forwards Jonathan Dahlen and Matt Nieto and defensemen Erik Karlsson, Jake Middleton, Radim Simek and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
What makes the team's predicament even more bewildering is that the entire squad and coaching staff had been fully vaccinated.
Seven players from the club's minor league Barracuda franchise were called up and remain on the roster for Tuesday night's home game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Sharks assistant coach John MacLean has assumed head coaching duties and development coach Mike Ricci has also joined the bench.
Tuesday's contest will be the second game for the makeshift roster. On Saturday night, the team's depleted lineup came up with an inspiring overtime 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, ending a three-game losing streak.
"That's what adversity does, right? It forces you to depend on each other and bring out the best in each other," Sharks goalie James Reimer said after the win.
Tomas Hertl, who scored his third goal of the season just under a minute into the second period, was in complete agreement.
"It was a crazy day but a big game for us," he said. "I'm proud of every guy in the room right now."
MacLean said there was amazing energy among the players for the entire game Saturday night.
"It was a tremendous effort," he said. "(We) had great energy and they all knew they had to play. ... The bench was lively. They were pretty much coaching themselves. They were excited to get out there and play, so that's always fun to see."