With their season on the line, the Sharks will be without star forward Tomas Hertl on Tuesday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference final against the Blues.
Hertl took a hit to the head in the first period of the Sharks' 5-0 loss in Game 5 from Blues forward Ivan Barbashev, and was nowhere to be seen in the third period of the defeat. Controversially, Barbashev didn't receive any discipline in the game or after from the league.
Establishing that Hertl's head was the main point of contact on the hit was difficult, since Barbashev also connected with Hertl's arms and shoulder, a source told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski on Monday.