Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin will be a healthy scratch for the third straight game Sunday when the San Jose Sharks play the Carolina Hurricanes, looking to end a five-game road losing streak.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Sunday morning that in his conversations with general manager Mike Grier and his staff about Mukhamadullin, “we thought this was what was best for the group.

“Again, we really like (Mukhamadullin). We think he’s going to be a really good defenseman. This gives him another skate this morning, another reset. So that’s what we decided.”

It’s been a challenging year so far for Mukhamadullin, who has struggled to regain the form he flashed for five weeks last season, starting in late February, when he had eight points in 17 games and averaged 20:27 in ice time.

The 2

See Full Page