SAN JOSE — Pete DeBoer wants the last two weeks of the Sharks season to serve as an internal competition for jobs on the team’s playoff roster.

As Erik Karlsson prepares to rejoin the lineup before the Stanley Cup playoffs kick off on April 10, the race for the sixth spot on the Sharks blue line will be among the competitions in the spotlight this week. At this point, Tim Heed appears to have the inside lane on the rights to the job, but DeBoer wants Joakim Ryan to give him something to think about by capitalizing on the opportunity in front of him.

Ryan will be suiting up for his sixth straight game when the Sharks attempt to snap their season-high five-game losing streak against the Detroit Red Wings at SAP Center on Monday.

“Those guys see the numbers. They see the playoffs around the corner. We need everybody to find another level and really solidify a spot,” the Sharks coach said. “And that might be moving through the playoffs, too. Guys might be in and out depending. Depth gives you that opportunity.”

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Ryan is leaving more to be desired in his latest audition as Brent Burns’ defensive partner. After stealing the job away from veteran Paul Martin last season, Ryan struggled through a sophomore slump over the first two months of the season, eventually losing his spot in the lineup to Radim Simek, who emerged as a stabilizing force on the blue line after DeBoer plugged him onto the blue line on Dec. 2.

But with Simek sidelined indefinitely with a major-knee injury, Ryan is getting a second look after serving as a healthy scratch in 18 straight games. So far, he’s shown a little bit of the good, bad and ugly, posting an even rating while averaging roughly 14 1/2 minutes of ice time over five games. DeBoer benched Ryan for the final 15:24 of Friday’s game in Orange County after he took a holding penalty that led to a go-ahead goal in the third period.

At this point, Ryan is taking a period-by-period approach to his latest opportunity, trying to avoid the pitfalls of looking too far down the road.

“It’s going alright for the most part. It’s hard when you’re not playing for a two-month stretch. It takes a little time to get back to game speed,” Ryan said. “But I think I’ve held my own. I’m just trying to control what I can control. Whatever happens after that happens. If I’m putting my best foot forward every night, trying my best, that’s really all I can do.”

2. Lukas Radil is making the most of his opportunity to earn a spot in the Sharks playoff lineup.

Radil will suit up for his third straight game on Monday, receiving an extended look on the Sharks fourth line after acquitting himself well in a pair of games in Southern California last week.

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With Radil skating in place of Micheal Haley, the fourth line posted a possession rating north of 57 percent in Friday’s overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks. The group also drew a pair of penalties and a produced a couple of shots on goal while maintaining a strong-cycle game. DeBoer wants Radil to play with the urgency he displayed while recording 10 points in a 15-game span back in December and January. The Czech rookie hasn’t found the scoresheet in his last 14 games.

Radil is also a good fit for a matchup against the Red Wings, who skate one of the more skilled fourth lines in the NHL.

“It’s not just the fact that we’re playing Detroit. He’s earned the right to play again because of how he played the last two games,” DeBoer said. “He’s got that desperation and hunger in his game like when he first came up. When he’s playing that way, he’s an effective player. He’s got good size and good length and he gets around the ice well.

“He deserves to stay in the lineup and we’re creating competition down there to stay in the lineup.”

3. Gus Nyquist is hoping he passes the puck to the guys in teal when the Red Wings roll into the Tank on Monday.

For the first time in his seven-year career, Nyquist will experience the awkwardness of playing against former-teammates. When the Sharks and Red Wings last met up in Detroit on Feb. 24, Nyquist wore the iconic-red jerseys of the squad that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft. Roughly six hours after the game, Nyquist got dealt to the Sharks, parting ways with the only NHL team he’d ever suited up for.

“It’ll be a little different seeing that jersey out there, not passing the puck to those guys. I’ll try not to do that,” Nyquist joked.

“I hope not,” Timo Meier quipped as he undressed nearby.

Nyquist met up with his former-teammates in San Jose on Sunday. He continues to stay in touch with his old friends, having spent his entire career playing with guys, such as Niklas Kronwall. Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader. The veteran forward is bracing for some weirdness when he lines up against those familiar faces.

“I’m sure it will be (weird),” Nyquist said. “This is the first time this has happened to me, but I’m really excited to be on this team. It’s a big game for us tonight to get back on track.”

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Home sweet home? Giants, visitors at Oracle Park, tie franchise record in win — Joe Pavelski will miss his fourth straight game with a lower-body injury on Monday. DeBoer said that Pavelski is showing signs of improvement.

“Heading in the right direction,” the Sharks coach said. “If it was playoffs, he’d probably be able to play. But there’s no sense rushing that right now.”