Defenseman Mario Ferraro will miss the Sharks’ final four games with a lower-body injury, further decimating the team’s blue line in the final stages of another challenging year.

Ferraro was injured while the Sharks were killing a penalty late in the second period of Wednesday night’s 8-7 overtime loss in Minnesota.

Standing in front of the Sharks’ net, Ferraro crumpled to the ice after he was struck in the ankle by a hard shot by Matt Boldy just before Joel Eriksson Ek scored the second of his four goals against the Wild.

Ferraro had to be helped off the ice and did not return to the game. Starting today in Edmonton, the Sharks (20-47-11), still in 32nd and last place in the NHL’s overall standings, have six days left in their season.

Ferraro, an alternate captain in his sixth NHL season, led the current Sharks roster in average time on ice (21:24) and shorthanded time on ice per game (2:41). Ferraro has also led the Sharks in blocked shots each of the last five years and had 125 blocks and 17 points in 78 games this season.

“It’s a tough loss for us, as far as what he brings to our group,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Thursday. “Leadership, the way he competes every night, this is hard on him. He really wanted to play every game this year.”

Ferraro’s injury comes barely a week after Shakir Mukhamadullin also sustained a season-ending upper-body injury in an April 1 game against the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s unclear whether Ferraro or Mukhamadullin will need surgery, although Warsofsky said there could be more clarity on Mukhamadullin in the coming days.

Ferraro and Mukhamadullin had comprised the Sharks’ top defense pair since the March 7 trade deadline. Now the Sharks are scrambling for replacements, although Warsofsky said defensemen Henry Thrun, Jack Thompson, and Timothy Liljegren could see elevated minutes.

Veteran defenseman Jan Rutta, who has been out since late January with a lower-body injury, is nearing a return. The Sharks are hopeful Rutta can play on this trip that continues with games in Calgary on Sunday and Vancouver on Monday. It was unclear whether he would be available against the Oilers.

Warsofsky said Vincent Desharnais (upper body) will not be able to return before Rutta. If Rutta cannot play tonight, the Sharks would need to recall a defenseman from the Barracuda.

While the banged-up Sharks are on a seven-game losing streak, the Oilers welcomed Connor McDavid back into their lineup on Wednesday after he missed eight straight games with a lower-body injury. McDavid had three assists in Edmonton’s 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.

CELEBRINI SHINES >> Macklin Celebrini’s first NHL hat trick was part of a five-point night against the Wild and put him in the Sharks record books. Celebrini now has 62 points, three more than Pat Falloon’s rookie single-season record set during the Sharks’ inaugural 1991-92 season.

Celebrini also became the first No. 1 overall draft pick to score three goals in a game during his rookie season since Auston Matthews scored four in his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 12, 2016.

Fellow rookie Will Smith also had a goal and a career-best three assists.

“We just got a good look at (the Sharks) future, didn’t we?” Warsofsky said Wednesday night.

The Wild had a 7-4 lead early in the third period before Celebrini and Smith fueled a comeback. Celebrini assisted on Nikolai Kovalenko’s goal at the 4:44 mark of the third period to cut the deficit to two, then completed his hat trick at the 10:02 mark of the third off an assist from Smith.

Smith then scored his 17th of the season with 52 seconds left in regulation time, off an assist from Celebrini, to send the game into overtime, where Kirill Kaprizov scored the 1:01 mark to end the game.

But the Sharks’ defense and penalty kill were disasters. The penalty kill went 1 for 4, and Sharks goalie Alexandar Georgiev allowed eight goals on 44 shots in San Jose’s sour start to a four-game trip.

“It’s not rocket science. You can’t give up eight goals and win in this league,” Warsofsky said. “We’ve got to look at it, we’ve got to get better (protecting the middle of the ice), something that we’ve really harped on.”

Wednesday’s game likely marked the last time the Sharks will face Hall of Fame-bound goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, presumably set to retire after the season. In 30 career games against the Sharks, Fleury has a 21-5-4 record with a .935 save percentage and three shutouts.

CHERNYSHOV ARRIVES >> Forward prospect Igor Chernyshov was added to the roster of the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Chernyshov, selected 33rd overall by the Sharks last year, just finished an impressive first season with the Saginaw Spirit in which he had 55 points in 23 regular-season games and six points in five playoff games.

The Barracuda have four regular-season games remaining, starting tonight against the Ontario Reign, and need one more point to clinch a playoff spot.