When Sharks captain Logan Couture crashed into the boards Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, he knew something was wrong. He just didn't know exactly what happened.
"When I first went in I thought it was my knee, my knee cap," Couture told reporters on Thursday. "Got off the ice, got my skates off and tried to put weight on my ankle and I couldn't. I figured something was wrong -- didn't find out for sure until the MRI yesterday."
That MRI revealed a small fracture in his left ankle. Sharks general manager Doug Wilson announced Thursday morning that Couture is expected to miss approximately six weeks.
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Couture broke his right ankle in 2015, but said this injury is in a much different spot. He also is sporting a hard cast this time, though, he won't require surgery as he did over four years ago.
He also didn't hand out any blame to Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, who collided with Couture when the injury occurred.
"It was just a weird play," Couture said. "He nudged me a little bit when I wasn't expecting it. That's my own fault. I gotta protect myself when I'm going hard into the boards like that. So, I take responsibility for not protecting myself the proper way."
[RELATED: Why you can count out Sharks with Couture seriously injured]
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Couture's injury just added salt to the Sharks' many wounds this season. Prior to his injury, the All-Star forward led San Jose with 36 points -- 14 goals, 22 assists.
The Sharks' 19-22-4 record is disappointing, to say the least. Now, they'll have to lean on their captain's leadership from afar.