SAN JOSE – Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to practice on Monday after missing two of the Sharks' four games on their recently completed road trip.
Vlasic did not play in Tuesday's game in Minnesota or Saturday's game in Nashville with the flu, and was spotted walking with a slight limp after Friday's game in Dallas when he took just one shift in the third period before departing.
Not surprisingly, center Logan Couture was missing after he took a deflected puck to the mouth on Saturday in Nashville and will miss some time, although the team has yet to update his condition.
Joe Thornton was also not at practice, although he was likely taking a maintenance day. Micheel Haley skated as a placeholder on his line with Jannik Hansen and Joe Pavelski.
With Couture out, Patrick Marleau centered a line with Melker Karlsson and Mikkel Boedker. Chris Tierney was between Joonas Donskoi and Timo Meier, while Tomas Hertl skated with Marcus Sorensen and Joel Ward.
Haley was set to have a hearing with the NHL's department of player safety on Monday for what the league called a "sucker punch" of Nashville's Calle Jarnkrok on Saturday. News of his punishment is expected later in the day.
