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McLellan optimistic about Hertl after worrying collision

Hertl

San Jose Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl scored his league-leading seventh goal on Saturday, but he later left the game because of a collision with Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur.

Although the collision might have been incidental, the initial fear was that Hertl had hit his head for the second straight game.

Fortunately Sharks coach Todd McLellan was able to offer an encouraging update following San Jose’s 3-2 victory over Ottawa.

“He fell into a player,” McLellan told CSN Bay Area. “Basically, he was going to the net, stumbled and fell into him. He’s a little bit sore, but I think he’ll be fine [today].”

McLellan added that Hertl’s shoulder, not head, was the main area of concern. He also raised the possibility that Hertl might stay off the ice today, but he didn’t seem overly concerned given that the Sharks don’t play again until Tuesday.

San Jose is off to a 5-0-0 start and while Hertl certainly isn’t single-handily response for that, the 19-year-old has been one of the NHL’s most pleasant surprises in the early part of the season.

If you missed the hit, you can see it below:

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