SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks have been hit with another injury to a key player as forward Tyler Toffoli will be out for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers — and probably longer — with a lower-body ailment.

Toffoli left the Sharks’ game against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday after the first period and did not return, as San Jose went on to lose 5-0 before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.

Toffoli, now in his second season with the Sharks, is the team’s third-leading scorer with 44 points, including 18 goals, in 66 games. He plays on the Sharks’ top power play unit and is eighth among all San Jose forwards in average time on ice (15:17).

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Friday that Toffoli, 33, was being evaluated and that he might have some clarification on the winger’s outlook on Saturday.

“Veteran guy, right? He’s been around a long time, seen a lot of playoff hockey, and in these kinds of moments, he can really help your group move forward,” Warsofsky said of Toffoli, a 14-year NHL veteran who won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014. “So we’re going to miss him for a little bit here. But I think we have some guys that can fill in and help out, and he’ll still be around.”

For Friday’s practice at SAP Center, Warsofsky had Philipp Kurashev join the Sharks’ top line alongside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. Kurashev, with 20 points in 41 games this season, was a healthy scratch for the Sharks’ last two games, including their 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

“We’ve got to get (Kurashev) going and kind of give him a clean slate, get him up there with (Celebrini),” Warsofsky said.

Toffoli, who led the Sharks with 30 goals last season, has played a key leadership role on a team that features several players under 23.

“A veteran presence,” Sharks center Macklin Celebrini said of Toffoli. “Especially over the last two years, how close we’ve gotten with him. His leadership, just the way he talks. He’s always there for you if you want to ask him questions. Even on the ice. He plays hard. He can score from anywhere, and he’s really dangerous.”

The Sharks right now are also dealing with injuries to No. 1 goalie Yaroslav Askarov (lower body), winger Igor Chernyshov (upper body), and center Ty Dellandrea (lower body).

Askarov and Chernyshov both skated apart from the Sharks on Friday, but it remains unclear when either player might begin practicing with the team. For the second straight day, Dellandrea skated with the Sharks while wearing an orange non-contact jersey. He remains week-to-week, Warsofsky said.

Defenseman Vincent Desharnais also missed Friday’s practice with an upper-body injury, and his availability for Saturday’s game will be determined closer to game time.

The injuries come at a bad time for the Sharks, who have lost three straight games and entered Friday in 11th place in the Western Conference with 70 points, two points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot. The Sharks are also one point behind both the Seattle Kraken and the Nashville Predators.

After Saturday, the Sharks will have 14 games remaining, starting with a three-game road trip that includes stops in Nashville. St. Louis and Columbus.

Please check back for updates to this story.