The goalie was injured Tuesday during a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He started 13 consecutive games, including two back-to-back sets, before rookie Zach Sawchenko made 18 saves in relief against the Golden Knights.
"It didn't feel like something was right," Reimer said Thursday. "This whole run ... in that game against Vegas, that might be the best, or randomly the most energy I've had, and the best my body's felt, and that's the game where it decides to not work. You can look into things whichever way you want, but I know I felt really good going into that game."
Reimer was 15-12-5 with a 2.84 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and one shutout in 34 games (33 starts) this season. The Sharks (24-24-6) are nine points behind the Dallas Stars for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
"It's probably just fatigue," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "We need to shut him down for a few days here and see how he feels. I don't think it's season-ending or anything like that. It's just a week-to-week thing.
"You're a team that's fighting for your lives ... you want to go with your No. 1 option, your best option, give yourself the best chance possible. I was very wary of putting him in those back-to-back situations ... but 'Reims' has reacted well to both, and he had a few days off after that before we went to Vegas."
The Sharks are also without goalie Adin Hill because of a lower-body injury. Hill was on the ice before the main portion of practice Thursday, which Boughner said was the plan because Hill has been unable to put 3-4 good days together. He has not played since Jan. 22.
Sawchenko and Alex Stalock, who was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, were the two goalies who practiced Thursday. Boughner said he has not decided who will start against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
"There's a lot of question marks so we have to see how everybody feels after today and probably won't be making a decision on goaltending until at least tomorrow afternoon," Boughner said.
Stalock was expected to be out for the season because of a heart condition that caused him to not play last season. The 34-year-old was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after contracting COVID-19 in November 2020. He was claimed off waivers by the Oilers from the Minnesota Wild on March 1, 2021, and is 3-1-0 in four games with Bakersfield of the American Hockey League.
He last played an NHL game on Aug. 7, 2020, allowing five goals on 31 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. That was his last professional game until Jan. 23 when he allowed five goals on 30 shots for Bakersfield in a 5-2 loss to the San Jose Barracuda.
"Early on, it was tough, 18 months off," Stalock said. "You're doing a lot of medical testing. It gets kid of old, you get sick of it. Got some good news in December and started ramping it up back home in Minnesota. Came out to California in January, got cranked up, got into some games, feeling good again."
Stalock was 20-11-4 with a 2.67 GAA, .910 save percentage and four shutouts in 38 regular-season games (36 starts) for the Wild in 2019-20 and 1-3 with a 3.03 GAA, .897 save percentage and one shutout in four Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"The most important part is knowing you can come back and play, and the excitement of playing hockey again," Stalock said. "That to me was the biggest thing. To get through that first game was kind of an emotional deal, to be able to say I can still do this."
Boughner said defenseman Erik Karlsson may return next week. He hasn't played since Jan. 20 and had surgery to repair a small muscle tear in his left forearm four days later.
"I think he's doutbful for the weekend and probable for Tuesday (against the Colorado Avalanche)," Boughner said.
