San Jose Sharks winger Igor Chernyshov left Thursday night’s matchup win over the Ottawa Senators in the first period after blocking a slapshot from Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo. Chernyshov seemed noticeably hurt after the block, favoring his left arm.
He finished his shift despite the injury. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky revealed after the game that Chernyshov would miss “a while” with an upper-body injury per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
The Sharks promoted Collin Graf to the top-line and power-play following Chernyshov’s injury. Graf scored one goal and one assist through the rest of the game.
He played 19:32 in ice time, marking his first game of the season with more than 16 minutes. Graf turned in a big day as a result, bringing his season-long scoring up to three points in 11 games.
He had a breakout season with San Jose last year, notching 21 goals and 46 points in 81 games. More than that, it was Graf’s tenacity and ability to create plays off of the boards that helped him stand out.
Those traits will help Graf make up for Chernyshov with the young Russian set to miss time. Chernyshov has racked up just four points, four hits, and six shot blocks in 10 games on the year.
Despite quiet scoring, his chemistry with San Jose’s stars has continued to shine. He scored 19 points in the first 28 games of his NHL career last season, while spending nearly all of his even-strength ice time alongside Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, or William Eklund.
Graf could find a major opportunity as he moves into Chernyshov’s role. He will look to keep his scoring rolling for the duration of Chernyshov’s absence from the lineup, while Ty Dellandrea could stick in the lineup as a capable, bottom-six center.
Just how long their window of opportunity will be open should become clearer on Friday, when the Sharks are able to further assess Chernyshov’s injury.