SAN JOSE >> Sharks defenseman Jake Walman was out of the lineup for a second straight game Thursday night, but for a less mysterious reason than his first absence.

Walman sat out the Sharks’ game against the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center with a shoulder injury he sustained in the first period of last Saturday’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Walman might have able to play through the injury on Tuesday when the Sharks hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. But Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky decided to scratch Walman that night for what he said was a non-hockey-related reason, despite the mistakes Walman admitted he made in the 3-2 loss to the Canucks.

“No one’s bigger than the team. That’s the biggest thing. No one is bigger than the team,” Warsofsky said Thursday morning about the message he sent to the Sharks dressing room by scratching Walman. “We’re about the team and getting better as an organization (with) our culture and standards.”

Warsofsky initially planned to play Walman against the Wild with that issue in the rear-view mirror. But Warsofsky said Thursday morning that Walman’s upper-body injury was “just not where we wanted it to be, so we’re being smart with it.”

Walman, considered day-to-day, leads all Sharks defensemen with nine points, including eight assists, and is second among all skaters in average time on ice (22:42).

The Sharks, who had won four of their last five games before Thursday, start a four-game trip in New Jersey on Sunday. They then play the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, the New York Rangers on Thursday, and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

“Everyone is aware of the situation,” Warsofsky said. “We’re going to keep that situation (within the team).”

Walman, acquired by the Sharks from the Detroit Red Wings in June, is signed through next season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

“We have had numerous conversations,” Warsofsky later said of Walman. “But he and I are on the same page. We’ve moved forward. He’s injured, and we expect him back very soon.”

Rookie Jack Thompson dressed instead of Walman on Thursday for the second straight game. Thompson scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday as the Sharks beat the Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime to improve to 3-1-0 on the homestand and 4-8-2 on the season.

On Tuesday, Thompson was paired with Jan Rutta and was on the Sharks’ second power-play unit with Will Smith, Barclay Goodrow, Fabian Zetterlund and William Eklund. Thompson finished with 17:38 in ice time.

“He’s played some really good hockey,” Warsofsky said of Thompson. “This is a kid that probably surprised us a lot in training camp. He played some (NHL) games last (season), but he looks like a completely different player than when he came in last year. He looks more comfortable and more engaged.

“Obviously, some things he needs to work on, but he gives us a puck-moving capability back there. He’s been pretty consistent, so nice to see him get rewarded.”

PATRIOT GAMES >> Warsofsky’s young family joined some Sharks players at the Rivalry Series game between the U.S. and Canadian women on Wednesday night at Tech CU Arena. After one period, the Americans had a five-goal lead and cruised to a 7-2 victory over the Canadians before an announced crowd of 3,079.

Sharks forwards Smith and Luke Kunin and Barracuda forward Thomas Bordeleau, players with ties to Team USA, attended the game, as did Sharks center Nico Sturm. Warsofsky brought his two young children, Cal, 5, and Lucy, 2.

“My son would not leave that game, and I’m an early bedtime guy, especially when we don’t play,” Warsofsky said. “But he wanted to stay the whole game, so we stayed, the whole family and I. It was great. Good to see USA win.”

Warsofsky said it was the first time he had seen the American women’s team play live.

“I was surprised how good they were,” he said. “They can make plays, their skill, their pace. The biggest thing is they look connected on the ice, and that’s something that we’re trying to get here.”

VLASIC UPDATE >> Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (upper body) has been skating recently but is not close to a return, Warsofsky said. Vlasic has not practiced with the Sharks yet this fall and is considered an injured non-roster player.

CARLSSON CLEARS >> Defenseman Lucas Carlsson cleared waivers Thursday and was reassigned to the Barracuda. Carlsson, signed by the Sharks in July to a two-year, two-way contract, missed all of training camp with an undisclosed injury.

The Barracuda host the Colorado Eagles on Saturday and Sunday but it was not immediately known if Carlsson, 27, would play.