SAN JOSE, Ca. -- The San Jose Sharks will once again be without top-line winger Tomas Hertl as they attempt to even the Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.
Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters Monday morning that Hertl, who missed Game 3 with a lower-body injury suffered in Game 2 of the finals, would not be available to the team for Game 4 at the SAP Center in San Jose.
The Sharks won Game 3 on a Joonas Donskoi overtime goal. That cut the Penguins' series lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven final.
Hertl, who has six goals and five assists in the playoffs, has played most of the season with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton and was arguably their best player in the first two games of the finals.
Melker Karlsson played some in Hertl's place on the top line, although DeBoer did move Logan Couture, the top scorer in the playoffs with 26 points, onto the team's top forward unit as they came from behind to win Game 3.
