The Sharks were without forward Tomas Hertl for the final 20 minutes of Friday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s unclear what’s ailing the second-line winger, or if he will be suiting up against the Ducks on Sunday evening.

The 24-year-old forward scored a power play goal for the Sharks in the second period of Friday’s game. Although he didn’t appear to get injured during the frame, he didn’t join the team when they took the ice for the third period.

According to coach Peter DeBoer, Hertl’s ailment is nothing new.

“He’s been dealing with something here most of the year,” DeBoer said after San Jose’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Hurricanes. “He’s been playing through it and just reaggravated it.”

Losing Hertl long term to injury could potentially disrupt San Jose’s offensive flow. The Czech winger has four goals and six assists through 10 games this season.

Hertl has found early season success on the second line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier, who collectively have contributed 15 of the Sharks’ 34 goals on the young 2018-19 campaign.

The Sharks conclude their current three-game road trip on Sunday evening in Anaheim against the Ducks. They haven’t seen the SoCal rival since their season-opener on October 3, when the Ducks took 5-3.