Peter DeBoer lamented the fact that Erik Karlsson wasn't at 100 percent during the playoffs, and the San Jose Sharks head coach said the superstar blue-liner wasn't fully healthy and thus at his best for much of the season.

"Sure (it's) disappointing, absolutely. Maybe the best defenseman in the world or in that conversation. But really, we had him healthy for probably six weeks and dialed in," DeBoer told the assembled media, including Sportsnet, following his team's elimination Tuesday night.

"The first two months of the season, he was getting used to us, (maybe) two-and-a-half (months)," the Sharks bench boss added. "I thought he got dialed in in January (or) February, and I thought maybe we were the best team in the league through that stretch and then he wasn't healthy again."

DeBoer declined to specify what Karlsson's most recent injury was, but the all-world rearguard was limited to about six minutes in the third period of Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the St. Louis Blues.

He left Game 5 and didn't return after playing about 10 minutes, and didn't suit up for Game 6 on Tuesday, which the Blues won to end San Jose's season.

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Peter DeBoer is taking some of the blame for the fact that Joe Thornton won't win his first championship this spring.

"He's the face, he's the heartbeat of the organization," the San Jose Sharks head coach told the assembled media, including Sportsnet, following a season-ending 5-1 defeat to the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night.

"Like all the players in that room, as coaches, we're disappointed for not helping him get there because he gives you everything he's got and (he) should be there," DeBoer added. "It's hard not to feel responsibility as one of the people around him for not helping him get where he belongs. He belongs playing for a Stanley Cup and that's the disappointing part."

Thornton said postgame that he hasn't thought about his future.

The 39-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent who's spent parts of 14 of his 21 seasons with the Sharks.

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Joe Thornton wasn't ready to say whether he plans to continue his career in the aftermath of his club's elimination on Tuesday night.

"No. Nope," the veteran San Jose Sharks forward told reporters, including NHL Network's Jon Morosi, when asked if he's thought about his future following the Sharks' 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.

Thornton is a pending unrestricted free agent who will turn 40 on July 2, one day after free agency opens.

He contributed 51 points in 73 games during the 2018-19 regular season, adding 10 points in 19 playoff contests.

Tuesday's loss ended Thornton's 21st NHL season. He's spent parts of 14 campaigns with the Sharks.

The supremely skilled playmaker has signed one-year contracts to remain with San Jose before each of the last two seasons.

Thornton ranks eighth on the NHL's all-time assists list, and 14th among the league's all-time points leaders.

He's also the Sharks' all-time assists leader, sits second in franchise history in points and games played, and ranks third on San Jose's all-time goals list.

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Referee Wes McCauley was forced to exit Game 6 between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks in the first period after colliding with linesman Scott Cherry during play.

Gord Dwyer replaced the official, and the NHL later announced McCauley will not return.

Sportsnet's Scott Oake said on the broadcast that McCauley told him it's a hamstring injury.

The veteran referee is the most popular official in the league, and one of the most well respected.

He'll likely be in line to work the Stanley Cup Final if healthy.

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San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski is listed among the scratches for Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against the St. Louis Blues.

The Sharks are already without Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl, who were ruled out earlier Tuesday.

All three players left Game 5 with various injuries and didn't return.

Pavelski was listed as a game-time decision.

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Dave Tippett could succeed Ken Hitchcock in Edmonton.

Tippett remains the front-runner for the Oilers' head coaching job, and the club could hire its new bench boss as early as Friday, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun later backed up Rishaug's report, adding that Tippett "still figures prominently" in Edmonton's search.

The former Arizona Coyotes head coach has been a senior advisor with the Seattle-based expansion franchise since last June.

Tippett reportedly interviewed for the Buffalo Sabres' head coaching position before they hired Ralph Krueger.

Oilers general manager Ken Holland revealed at his introductory news conference on May 7 that Hitchcock wouldn't be back next season.

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Canada defeated the United States 3-0 on Tuesday on the final day of the preliminary round at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship.

With the victory, Canada is the winner of Group A, while the Americans finish fourth. The top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals.

More to come.

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The San Jose Sharks will be shorthanded for Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues.

All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson and forward Tomas Hertl won't play in Tuesday's do-or-die clash, head coach Peter DeBoer told The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

DeBoer added that Sharks captain Joe Pavelski will be a game-time decision.

Karlsson, Hertl, and Pavelski all left Game 5 with various ailments and did not return.

Karlsson's been dealing with a nagging groin injury that cost him 29 games during the regular season, but it appears the ailment has gotten worse.

The extent of Hertl's and Pavelski's injuries are unclear, but they both took hard hits in Game 5, which St. Louis won to take a 3-2 series lead.

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Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said the team hopes to re-sign pending unrestricted free-agent goaltenders Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

Mrazek and McElhinney formed an unlikely, cost-efficient duo for the Canes this past season. Mrazek signed a one-year $1.5-million contract with the club last summer, and McElhinney was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs while riding out the last campaign of his two-year, $1.6-million pact.

Together, they gave Carolina much-needed reliable play between the pipes.

Both netminders are likely in line for raises after their stellar seasons.

If both are retained, it could signal the end of fellow goalie Scott Darling's time in Carolina. After acquiring Darling from the Chicago Blackhawks in April 2017, the Hurricanes signed him to a four-year, $16.6-million contract. However, he struggled mightily in 2017-18 and spent the bulk of this past season in the AHL.

Waddell said no decision has been made on whether the club will buy out the remainder of Darling's contract, according to Alexander.

It could be a very busy offseason in Carolina. The Hurricanes have more than $28 million in expected cap space, according to Cap Friendly, but star forward Sebastian Aho's projected new deal will likely eat up a large chunk of that. Waddell said he'll talk to Aho's agent within the next few days, according to Alexander.

Waddell added that the club is looking to extend defenseman Justin Faulk, who will hit unrestricted free agency after next season.

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