The San Jose Sharks only have six healthy defenseman for Saturday’s clash against the Philadelphia Flyers as Vincent Desharnais is out due to injury.

John Klingberg will return to the Sharks’ lineup after he was a healthy scratch against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Desharnais has been dealing with an upper-body issue that has been building for some time, according to San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky.

“Yeah, hurts. Big guy that especially has helped our penalty kill quite a bit,” Warsofsky said. “The length, played some really good hockey too. So, another opportunity for some guys to step up in that role and help us. Whether that’s on the penalty kill or defending in and around our net.”

Desharnais had missed 20 games earlier in the season due to an elbow injury that required surgery. The 6’7 defenseman has stabilized a bottom-pair defense role that the Sharks were in desperate need of. His physicality and elite penalty killing are a big loss against the Flyers.

Ned starts again

San Jose Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic will start for the fifth time in the past six games. With Yaroslav Askarov on the shelf with a lower-body injury, the Sharks have begun to lean on the 30-year-old.

Nedeljkovic had a tough game on Thursday against the Sabres, giving up five goals on just 16 shots. The veteran goalie took responsibility for the 4th goal against, stating it was a back-breaking goal to give up so early in the third period.

“Those guys, they find a way to score. The puck finds a way to go in. It hit me in the leg, goes off my blocker, and finds a way to go in. It’s not the prettiest goal in the world. It’s one of those ones that just sneaks, and it’s tough to swallow, especially when you know it’s still within our grasp,” Nedeljkovic said. “Three goals. We can score three goals, no problem in this locker room. Then to give one up like that, a minute into the period, it’s pretty deflating. It sucks to give up for the guys.”

The Flyers don’t pose a high shot volume threat. This season, the Flyers average just 25.1 shots per game, which ranks 31st in the NHL. Nedeljkovic will need to remain sharp between shots because it is likely they won’t be consistent.